


The De-Aged Doctor and the Battle of the Labyrinth

by Whovian101



Series: The De-Aged Doctor and the Olympians [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:20:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 56,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23317504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whovian101/pseuds/Whovian101
Summary: Having spent much of his time searching for Nico, the Doctor takes a break to go to a freshman orientation with Percy Jackson. As always, nothing goes as planned and Annabeth, Percy, Grover, Tyson, and the Doctor must go into the Labyrinth to find Daedalus.
Series: The De-Aged Doctor and the Olympians [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1608964
Comments: 25
Kudos: 36





	1. Burning Down Another School

“Right boys,” Mrs. Jackson said, sitting the Doctor and Percy down before going into the school. “Just relax,” She sounded anything but. “It’s only an orientation tour. And remember, dear, this is Paul’s school.” Paul was her new boyfriend. He was kind and made her happy, so the Doctor approved. “So try not to…you know.”

“Destroy it?” Percy asked.

“Yes.”

Paul Blofis was standing out front, greeting future ninth graders as they came up the steps. He had salt and pepper hair denim cloths and a leather jacket. The kind English teacher had managed to convince Goode High School to accept the Doctor and Percy into their school. Percy had tried to warn him that it wasn’t a particularly good idea, but he wouldn’t listen.

“You’ve not told him the truth about Percy, have you?” The Doctor asked Mrs. Jackson.

She tapped her fingers nervously on the wheel. She was dressed up for a job interview – her best blue dress and high-heeled shoes.

“I thought we should wait,” she admitted.

“So we don’t scare him away.”

“I’m sure orientation will be fine,” She said, “It’s only one morning.”

“Great.” Percy mumbled. “We can get expelled before the school year even starts.”

“Think positive.” Sally Jackson tried, “Tomorrow you’re off to camp! After orientation you’ve got your date, Percy –”

“It’s not a date!” Percy protested. “It’s just Annabeth, Mom. Jeez!”

“She’s coming all the way from camp to meet you.”

“Well, yeah.”

“You’re going to the movies.”

“Yeah.”

“And the Doctor will head out in search of Nico again.”

“Yeah.”

“So you two will be all alone.”

“Mom!”

She held up her hands in surrender, but it was obvious that she was trying hard not to smile. “You two better get inside. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Percy,” The Doctor suddenly said, and pointed to Paul Blofis. He was greeting a young girl with frizzy red hair wearing a maroon T-shirt and ratty jeans that were decorated with marker drawings.

“Who is that?” Mrs. Jackson asked.

“Just someone we know.” The Doctor said. “Come on, Percy.”

“Mom, is there a side entrance?”

“Down the block on the right. Why?”

“I’ll see you later.”

The Doctor and Percy made their way down the street to the side entrance.

“What is  _ she  _ doing here?”

“I don’t know, Percy.” The Doctor said thoughtfully. “But I doubt it’s coincidence.

As it turned out, sneaking into the orientation didn’t work out all that well. Two cheerleaders in purple and white uniforms were standing at the side entrance, waiting to ambush freshmen.

“Hi!” They smiled. One was blonde with icy blue eyes and a name tag that read Tammi. The other had deep coco skin and dark curly brown hair. Her name tag read Kelli.

“Welcome to Goode,” Tammi said. “You are  _ so  _ going to love it.”

She looked the boys up and down, but her expression was one of disgust.

Kelli stepped uncomfortably close. “What’s your name, fish?”

“Fish?”

“Freshman.”

“Uh, I’m Percy, that’s the Doc – uh, I mean John Smith…”

The two girls exchanged looks.

“Oh, Percy Jackson,” Tammi said, “Doctor, We’ve been waiting for you.”

Yeah, that wasn’t a good sign.

They were blocking the entrance, smiling in a not-particularly-friendly way.

Then, another voice came from inside the building: “Percy?” It was Paul Blofis, somewhere down the hallway.

The cheerleaders backed off. Percy accidentally kneed Kelli in the thigh.

_ Clang. _

Her leg made a hollow, metallic sound. “Ow.” she muttered. “Watch it,  _ fish. _ ”

The Doctor and Percy hurried down the hallway, the cheerleaders laughing behind them.

“There you are!” Paul said. “Welcome to Goode!”

“Hey, Paul – uh, Mr. Blofis.” Percy greeted.

“Percy, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Yeah, uh –”

“Listen,” Paul said, clapping Percy on the back, “I know you’re nervous, but don’t worry. We get a lot of kids here with ADHD and dyslexia. The teachers know how to help. And John’ll be happy to help, I’m sure,” He smiled at the Doctor, who nodded.

The Doctor looked down the hall, only to see the redheaded girl, Rachel. She was coming in the main entrance. She saw the boys. Her eyes widened.

“Where’s the orientation?” Percy asked suddenly.

“The gym. That way. But –”

“Bye.” Percy bolted. The Doctor shrugged at Paul, and followed the boy.

A number of kids were heading for the gym, and the Doctor found Percy amongst them. All three hundred fourteen year old children were crammed into the bleachers, a large marching band played an out-of-tune fight song. Older students all stood up front, modeling the Goode school uniform. They looked to be student council members. The walls of the gym were plastered with big purple and white banners that said WELCOME FUTURE FRESHMAN, GOODE IS GOOD, WE’RE ALL FAMILY, and a number of other happy slogans. None of the other freshmen looked all that thrilled to be there. 

The marching band stopped playing and a man in a pinstripe suit came to the microphone and began to speak in an echoey, garbled voice. 

A hand grabbed the Doctor’s shoulder. “What are you guys doing here?”

It was the redheaded girl.

“Rachel Elizabeth Dare.” Percy said.

Rachel’s jaw dropped like she couldn’t believe that Percy remembered her name.

“And you’re a Doctor and Percy something. I didn’t get your full names last December when you tried to  _ kill  _ me.”

“We weren’t trying to kill you,” The Doctor said.

“What are you even doing here?” Percy asked.

“Same as you, I guess.” Rachel said. “Orientation.”

“You live in New York?” Percy asked.

“What, you thought I lived at Hoover Dam?”

“Hey, shut up. The cheerleaders are talking!” A boy behind them hissed.

“Hi guys!” Tammi said into the microphone. “My name is Tammi, and this is Kelli.” Kelli did a cartwheel.

Rachel suddenly yelped. A few kids looked over and snickered, but Rachel just stared at the cheerleaders in horror. Tammi didn’t seem to notice the outburst. She began speaking about the ways one could get involved during their freshman years.

“Run.” Rachel said. “Now.”

“Why?” Percy asked, but Rachel didn’t explain. She pushed her way to the edge of the bleachers, ignoring the frowning teachers and grumbling children she was stepping on. 

The Doctor didn’t bother hesitate, pulling Percy along.

Rachel led them to the band room. She was hiding behind a bass drum in the percussion section.

“Get over here!” She said. “Keep your head down!”

The Doctor and Percy crouched beside her.

“What’s wrong?” The Doctor asked.

“Did they follow you?”

“The cheerleaders?” Percy asked. Rachel nodded nervously. “I don’t think so. What are they? What did you see?”

Rachel’s green eyes were bright with fear. “You…you wouldn’t believe me.”

“We will, I promise.” The Doctor said.

“Yeah, we know you can see through the Mist.” Percy added.

“The what?”

“The Mist,” Percy said. “It’s…well, it’s like this veil that hides the way things really are. Some mortals are born with the ability to see through it. Like you.”

She studied the boys carefully. “You did that at the Hoover Dam. You called me a mortal. Like you’re not.” She let out a breath. “Tell me you know what it means. All these horrible things I see?”

“The Greek Myths,” The Doctor said, “How much do you know about them?”

“Like…the Minotaur and the Hydra?”

“Yes.”

“And the Furies,” she said, “and the Sirens?”

“Yes.” The Doctor said. 

Down the hallway, a mob of children were coming out from the gymnasium. They were starting the group tours. They didn’t have long.

“They’re real.” The Doctor told her. “All of that is real.”

“I knew it!” Rachel breathed in horror. “You don’t know how hard it’s been. For years I thought I was going crazy. I couldn’t tell anybody. I couldn’t –” her eyes narrowed. “Wait, who are you guys? I mean,  _ really?” _

“We’re not monsters.” Percy piped up.

“Yeah, I know  _ that. _ ” Rachel rolled her eyes, “I’d be able to see if you were. You look like…you. But you’re not human, are you?”

The Doctor exchanged a look with Percy. “Right, Percy here is a half-blood, I’m an alien.”

“What? Half-human and half-what? And there're no aliens in Greek Myths, right?”

Before the Doctor could answer, Tammi and Kelli stepped into the band room. The doors slammed shut behind them.

“There you are Percy Jackson and Doctor,” Tammi said. “It’s time for your orientation.”

“They’re horrible!” Rachel gasped.

Tammi and Kelli were still wearing their purple and white cheerleader costumes and holding pom poms from the rally.

“What do they really look like?” Percy asked, but Rachel seemed to be too stunned to respond.

“Oh, forget her.” Tammi gave a brilliant smile and began to approach, Kelli staying by the door, blocking the exit.

“Percy,” Rachel warned. The Doctor looked, only to see Percy in a trance, staring into Tammi’s smile.

“Uhhh?” Percy continued to stare as Tammi as she got closer, holding out her pom poms.

“Percy!” The Doctor called. Percy stared for a moment, then managed to break from the trance, and pulled Riptide from his pocket. He uncapped the pen and it grew into a three-foot-long bronze sword, its blade glowing with a faint golden light. Tammi’s smile turned to a sneer.

“Oh, come on,” she protested. “You don’t need that. How about a kiss instead?”

“Percy,” Rachel pinched the boy.

“She’s just jealous,” Tammi looked back at Kelli. “May I, mistress?”

Kelli was still blocking the door, licking her lips hungrily. “Go ahead, Tammi. You’re doing fine.”

Tammi took another step forth, but Percy leveled the tip of his sword at her chest. “Get back.”

“Freshmen,” She snarled with disgust. “This is  _ our  _ school, half-blood. We feed on whom we choose!”

She began to change, the colour drained from her skin, turning it so pale it looked white. Her eyes turned completely red, and her teeth grew into vicious fangs. Her left leg was brown and shaggy like a donkey's hoof, and the other was a bronze human leg. Her hair suddenly was lit aflame and from her back, two wings sprouted.

“A vampire!” Percy stammered.

“No, it’s an Empousa.” The Doctor breathed.

Rachel and Percy looked lost, so the Doctor explained:

“They’re under the control of the goddess, Hecate. They feed on men, they’re sent to guard roads and devour travelers. They’re from Pandora’s pithos.”

“Pithos?” Rachel asked.

“Her box,” the Doctor simplified, “Pandora’s box.”

“Mmmm,” Tammi said, edging closer, “I do like someone who’s informed.”

“Oh, yes, but ignorance is so much tastier.” Kelli grinned.

Percy seemed to be frozen, staring at Tammi’s true form.

That was, until Rachel threw a snare drum at the empousa’s head.

Tammi hissed and batted the drum away, sending it rolling along the aisles between magic stands, its springs rattling against the drumhead. Rachel threw a xylophone, but the demon simply swatted that away too.

“I don’t usually kill girls,” Tammi growled, “But for you, mortal, I’ll make an exception. Your eyesight is a little  _ too  _ good.”

She lunged at Rachel, the Doctor shoved the girl out of the way, just as Percy sliced straight through her cheerleader uniform, and with a horrible wail, she exploded dust all over the Doctor and Rachel.

“Gross!” Rachel cried.

“Yeah, monsters do that,” Percy said. “Sorry.”

“You killed my trainee!” Kelli yelled. “You need a lesson in school spirit, half-bloods!”

She too began to change, her wiry hair tuning to flickering flames, her eyes turned red, her fangs grew from her mouth, and she began to lope towards them, her brass foot and hoof clopping unevenly on the band room floor.

“I am senior empousa,” she growled. “No hero has bested me in a thousand years.”

“Yeah?” Percy said. “Then you’re overdue!”

Kelli was much faster than Tammi, dodging Percy’s first strike. The Doctor shielded Rachel as Percy striked again, sending Kelli rolling into the brass section, knocking over a row of trombones. Kelli circled the group.

“Such a pretty little blade,” she said. “What a shame it stands between us.”

Her form shimmered, switching in and out, sometimes demon, sometimes cheerleader. 

“Poor dear,” Kelli chuckled. “You don’t even know what’s happening, do you? Soon your pretty little camp in flames, your friends made slaves of the Lord of Time, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. It would be merciful to end your life now, before you have to see that.”

From down the hall, the Doctor could hear voices. A tour group was approaching. A man was saying something about locker combinations.

Kelli’s eyes lit up. “Excellent! We’re about to have company!”

She picked up a tube and threw it. The Doctor pulled Rachel and Percy down, allowing the tuba to sail over their heads and crash through the window.

The voices in the hall died down.

“Percy!” Kelli shouted, pretending to be scared, “why did you throw that?”

“Run.” The Doctor said, but Percy threw his sword, allowing it to strike Kelli just as the door of the room opened. Just before it hit the empousa, she exploded into flames. The entire room was engulfed in fire. 

“Percy?” Paul Blofis was looking completely stunned. “John? What have you done?”

“You have to get out of here!” Rachel hissed to the boys.

There was no telling what those mortals saw.

The Doctor, Percy, and Rachel did the only thing they could. They booked it out the broken band room window.

They burst out of the alley onto East 81st, running directly into Annabeth.

“Hey, you’re out early!” She laughed, grabbing Percy’s shoulders to keep him from tumbling into the streat. “Watch where you’re going, Seaweed Brain.”

Annabeth was smiling, wearing jeans, an orange camp T-shirt, and her clay bead necklace. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her gray eyes sparkled.

She then saw the Doctor and Rachel. She frowned. “What did you two do this time? Who’s this?”

“Oh,” Percy said. “Rachel – Annabeth. Annabeth – Rachel. Um, she’s a friend. I guess.”

“Hi,” Rachel said, then turned to the boys. “You are in  _ so  _ much trouble. And you still owe me an explanation.”

Police sirens wailed on FDR Drive.

“Percy, Doctor, we should go.” Annabeth said coldly.

“I want to know more about half-bloods,” Rachel insisted, “And aliens, and monsters, and this stuff about the gods.”

She grabbed the Doctor’s arm, whipped out a permanent marker, and wrote a phone number on his hand. “You’re going to call me and explain, okay? You owe me that. Now get going.”

The Doctor nodded. “You should go.”  
“I’ll make up some story,” Rachel said. “I’ll tell them it wasn’t your fault. Just go!”  
She ran back towards the school, leaving the Doctor, Annabeth, and Percy in the street.

Annabeth stared at Percy for a moment, then turned and began to run.

“Hey!” Percy ran after her, followed by the Doctor. “There were these two empousi,” he began to explain. “They were cheerleaders, see, and they said camp was going to burn, and –”  
“You told a mortal girl about half-bloods?”

“She can see through the mist,” The Doctor explained. “She saw the monsters, she was terrified. She deserved to know.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “She’s safer in ignorance.”

“This is the second time she’s saved our life.” The Doctor pointed out.

“Second?”

“She’s the one who saved us at the Hoover Dam.” Percy explained.

Annabeth hesitated.

“She’s kind of cute.”

“I – I never thought about it.” Percy said.

Annabeth continued to walk towards York Avenue.

“I guess our afternoon is off.” Annabeth said, not bothering to look at Percy. “We should get you out of here, now that the police will be searching for you.”

Behind them, smoke billowed up from Goode High School. 

“You’re right.” The Doctor nodded. “We should get to Camp Half-Blood. Now.”


	2. The Council of Cloven Elders

The cab ride was uncomfortably quiet. The Doctor tried to make conversation, but every time he opened his mouth, Annabeth would shoot him nasty looks. 

All the Doctor had managed to get out of Annabeth was that she’d had a monster-infested spring in San Francisco, come back to camp twice since (but wouldn’t say why), and that she too had learned nothing of the whereabouts of Nico di Angelo.

“Any word on Luke?” Percy asked.

Annabeth shook her head silently. 

“Mount Tam is still overrun with monsters, I didn’t dare go close, but I don’t think Luke is up there. I think I would know if he was.”

“What about Grover?” Percy asked.

“He’s at camp,” she said. “We’ll see him today.”

“Do you know if he’s had any luck finding Pan?” The Doctor asked.

Annabeth fingered her beaded necklace. 

“You’ll see.”

As they headed through Brooklyn, Percy used Annabeth’s phone to call his mum. It went to voicemail, so he left a message, attempting to explain what had happened at Goode, and telling her that they were fine, that she shouldn't worry, and to tell Paul Blofis that he was sorry.

They rode in silence after that. The city melted away until they were off on the expressway and rolling through the countryside of northern Long Island, past orchards, wineries, and produce stands.

The cab exited on Route 25A, heading through the woods along the North Shore until a low ridge of hills appeared on their left. Annabeth told the driver to pullover on Farm Road 3.141, at the base of Half-Blood Hill.

The driver frowned. “There ain’t nothing here, miss. You sure you want out?”

“Yes, please.” Annabeth handed him a roll of mortal cash, and the driver decided not to argue.

The Doctor, Percy, and Annabeth hiked to the crest of the hill. The young guardian dragon, Peleus, was dozing. He was significantly larger than the last time the Doctor had seen him. He was coiled protectively around the base of the pine tree, but he lifted his coppery head as the trio approached. The Doctor ran a hand over his head and scratched under his chin. “Hey Peleus.” 

Peleus rubbed up against the Doctor’s legs, nearly knocking him over.

Something felt wrong about the camp. Tension was thick in the air. They three heroes made their way down the valley, finding the summer season in full swing. Most of the campers had arrived last Friday, so it was bustling with half-bloods. The satyrs were playing their pipes in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow with their woodland magic. Campers were having horseback lessons with the pegasi, swooping over the woods. Smoke rose from the forges, and hammers ran out as kids made their own weapons for Arts & Crafts. The Athena and Demeter teams were having a chariot race around the track, and over at the canoe lake, some children in a Greek trireme were fighting a large orange sea serpent.

“I need to talk to Clairsse.” Annabeth said suddenly.

Percy stared at her. “What for?”

“We’ve been working on something,” Annabeth said. “I’ll see you later.”

“Working on what?” The Doctor inquired.

She glanced towards the forest. 

“I’ll tell Chiron you’re here,” she said. “He’ll want to talk to you two before the hearing.”

“What hearing?”

But she was already jogging down the path towards the archery field without looking back.

“Yeah,” Percy muttered. “Great talking with you, too.”

The Doctor and Percy made their way through camp, greeting friends along the way. In the Big House’s driveway, Connor and Travis Stoll were hot-wiring the camp’s SUV. Silena Beauregard waved from her pegasus as she flew past. The Doctor kept an eye out for Grover, but saw nothing. 

“I want to practice in the sword arena.” Percy said. The Doctor shrugged and followed him. 

The two boys walked into the amphitheater. The Doctor froze. In the middle of the arena floor was a massive hellhound.

Before the Doctor could say anything, Percy was charging,bringing his blade down on the monster, when out of nowhere, another sword blocked his strike.

_ CLANG! _

_ “WOOF!”  _ The hellhound pricked up her ears.

Percy jumped back and the Doctor could see another swordsman. He was a gray-haired man in Greek armor, who parried Percy’s attack with no problem. 

“Woah there!” he said. “Truce!”

_ “WOOF!”  _ The hellhound’s bark shook the arena.

“That’s a hellhound!” Percy shouted.

“She’s harmless,” the man said. “That’s Mrs. O’Leary.”

The Doctor grinned, as Percy said, “Mrs. O’Learly?”

At the sound of her name, the hellhound barked once more. She wasn’t angry, she was excited. She nudged the soggy, badly chewed target dummy towards the swordsman.

“Good girl,” the man praised. With his free hand, he grabbed the armored manikin by the neck and heaved it towards the bleachers. “Get the Greek! Get the Greek!”

Mrs. O’Leary bounded after her prey and pounced on the dummy, flattening its armor. She began chewing on its helmet.

The swordsman smiled dryly. He looked to be in his fifties, he had short gray hair and a clipped gray beard. He wore black mountain-climbing pants and a bronze breastplate strapped over an orange camp T-shirt. At the base of his neck was a strange mark, a purplish blotch like a birthmark or tattoo. It looked to be a partridge. It felt familiar. Why did that feel so familiar?

The swordsman shifted his armor straps and let the mark disappear under his collar. “Mrs. O’Leary is my pet,” he explained. “I couldn’t let you stick a sword in her, now could I? That might have scared her.”

“Who are you?” Percy asked.

“Promise not to kill me if I put my sword away.”

“Promise.” The Doctor answered for Percy, sending him a pointed look. Percy reluctantly capped his sword.

The other man sheathed his sword as well, extending his hand.

“Quintus.”

Percy and the Doctor both shook it.

“Percy Jackson.” Percy said.

“And I’m the Doctor.”

“Sorry about –” Percy said, “How do you, um –”

“Get a hellhound for a pet? Long story, involving many close calls with death and quite a few giant chew toys. I’m the new sword instructor, by the way. Helping out Chiron while Mr. D is away?”

“Dionysus’s gone?” The Doctor asked, watching as Mrs. O’Leary ripped off the target dummy’s shield with the arm still attached and shook it back and forth.

“Yes, well…busy times. Even Dionysus must help out. He’s gone to visit some old friends. Make sure they’re on the right side. I probably shouldn’t say more than that.”

Off to the left, there was a loud  _ BUMP,  _ and six wooden crates stacked nearby were rattling. Mrs. O’Leary cocked her head and bounded towards them.

“Woah, girl!” Quintus said. “Those aren’t for you.” He distracted her with a bronze shield that he threw like a frisbee.

The crates thumped and shook. There were words on the side:

TRIPLE G RANCH

FRAGILE

THIS END UP

Along the bottom, in smaller letters: OPEN WITH CARE. TRIPLE G RANCH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE, MAIMING, OR EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL DEATHS.

“What’s in there, then?” The Doctor asked.

“A little surprise,” Quintus said. “Training activity for tomorrow night. You’ll love it.”

“Brilliant.” The Doctor said warily. 

Quintus threw the bronze shield, sending Mrs. O’Leary lumbering after it. “You young ones need more challenges. They didn’t have camps like this when I was a boy.”

“You – you’re a half-blood?” Percy asked.

Quintus chuckled. “Some of us  _ do  _ survive into adulthood, you know. Not all of us are the subject of terrible prophecies.”

“You know about the prophecy?” The Doctor asked.

“I’ve heard a few things.”

“Before the Doctor could inquire further, Chiron hurried into the arena. “Percy! Doctor! There you are!”

He clearly came from teaching archery. He had a quiver and bow slung over his #1 CENTAUR T-shirt. He’d trimmed his curly brown hair and beard for the summer, and his lower half was flecked with mud and grass.

“I see you’ve met our new instructor.” Chiron’s tone was light, but the Doctor could see the uneasy look in his eyes. “Quintus, do you mind if I borrow these boys?”

“Not at all, Master Chiron.”

“No need to call me ‘Master’,” Chiron said, yet he sounded somewhat pleased. “Come, boys. We have much to discuss.”

As the Doctor, Percy, and Chiron walked, Percy said;

“Quintus seems kind of –”

“Mysterious?” Chiron suggested. “Hard to read?”

“Yeah.”

Chiron nodded. “A very qualified half-blood. Excellent swordsman. I just wish I understood…” The centaur decided not to finish his sentence, instead electing to say: “First thing’s first: Annabeth told me you met some empousi.”

“Yes.” The Doctor explained their fight at Goode, and how Kelli had exploded into flames.

“Mm,” Chiron said. “The more powerful ones can do that. She did not die, no. She simply escaped. It is not good that the she-demons are stirring.”

“What were they doing there?” Percy asked. “Waiting for us?”

“Possibly.” Chiron frowned. “It is amazing you two survived. Their powers of deception…almost any male hero would’ve fallen under their spell and been devoured…Well, I suppose the Doctor, you were able to resist with ease…”

“We probably would have been without Rachel.” Percy said.

Chiron nodded. “Ironic to be saved by a mortal.”

“Oi, you underestimate mortals.” The Doctor said pointedly.

Chiron hummed in agreement. “We owe her a debt. What the empousa said about an attack on camp – we must speak of this further. But for now, come, we should get to the woods. Grover will want you there.”

“Where?” Percy asked, as the Doctor said;

“What for?”

“His formal hearing,” Chiron answered both of them grimly. “The Council of Cloven Elders is meeting now to decide his fate.”

Chiron said they needed to hurry, so the Doctor and Percy allowed Chiron to give them a ride on his back. Chiron plunged into the woods. Nymphs peaked out of the trees to watch the group pass. Large shapes rustled in the shadows – monsters stocked as a challenge for the campers.

Chiron took the Doctor and Percy through a tunnel of old willow trees, past a small waterfall, and into a glade blanketed with wildflowers. Within this glade were a number of satyrs, sitting in a circle in the grass. Grover was standing in the middle, facing three elder satyrs who sat upon a throne of rose bushes. 

Grover seemed to be telling the Council a story. He twisted the bottom of his T-shirt, shifting nervously on his goat hooves. He’d not changed much since last winter, though his acne had flared up. His horns had gotten a little bigger as well, so they stuck over his curly hair.

Standing off to one side of the circle were Annabeth, Clarisse, and another girl the Doctor wasn’t familiar with. Chiron dripped the boys beside them.

Clarisse’s stringy brown hair was tied back with a camouflage bandanna. She looked as though she’d been working out as well. She glared viciously at the boys and muttered, “Punks.”

Annabeth had her arm around the other girl, a dryad, who looked as though she’d just been crying. She was petite with wispy amber hair and a pretty, elven face. She wore a green chiton and laced sandals, and she was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. “It’s going terribly,” she sniffled.

“No, no.” Annabeth patted her shoulder. “He’ll be fine, Juniper.”

Annabeth looked at the Doctor and Percy and mouthed,  _ Grover’s girlfriend. _

“Master Underwood!” The council member furthest right shouted, cutting off whatever it was that Grover was trying to say. “Do you seriously expect us to believe this?”

“B-but, Silenus,” Grover stammered. “It’s the truth!”

Silenus turned to his colleagues and muttered something. Chiron cantered up to the front and stood beside them, as he was an honorary member of the council. The satyr tugged his yellow polo shirt over his stomach and adjusted himself on his rosebush throne. “Master Underwood, for six months –  _ six months  _ – we have been hearing these scandalous claims that you heard the wild god Pan speak.”

“But I did!”

“Impudence!” said the elder on the left.

“Now, Maron,” Chiron said. “Patience.”

“Patience, indeed!” Maron said. “I’ve had it up to my horns with this nonsense. As if the wild go would speak to…to  _ him. _ ”

Juniper looked as though she wanted to charge the old satyr and beat him up, but Annabeth and Clarisse held her back. “Wrong fight, girlie,” Clarisse muttered. “Wait.”

“For six months,” Silenus continued, “we have indulged you, Master Underwood. We let you travel. We allowed you to keep your searcher’s license. We waited for you to bring proof of your preposterous claim. And what have you found in six months of travel?”

“I just need more time,” Grover pleaded.

“Nothing!” The elder in the middle chimed in. “You have found nothing.”

“Leneus, if I may,” The Doctor cut in,”

“You may not!” Leneus cried, but the Doctor ignored him.

“See, your entire search for Pan is entirely of faith, is it not?” The Doctor pointed out, “And so to ask for proof – well, that is directly against what you believe. You have  _ faith  _ that Pan is still there to be searched for, and if Grover has heard his voice, well, you ought to have faith in that too. Because without faith, what are you? What is your purpose?”

The Council muttered and argued amongst themselves. Grover sent the Doctor a look that said,  _ what have you done? _ Chiron didn’t look all that optimistic either.

“Master Underwood,” Silenus finally announced, “We will give you one more chance.”

Grover brightened. “Thank you!”

“One more week.”

“What?” Grover’s face paled, “But sir! That’s impossible!”

“One more week, Master Underwood. And then, if you cannot prove your claims, it will be time for you to pursue another career. Something to suit your dramatic talents. Puppet theatre, perhaps. Or tap dancing.”

“But sir, I – I can’t lose my searcher’s license. My whole life –”

“This meeting of the council is adjourned,” Silenus said. “And now let us enjoy our noonday meal!”  
The eldest satyr clapped his hands and a number of nymphs melted out from the trees with platters of vegetables, fruits, tin cans, and other such goat delicacies. Grover walked dejectedly towards the group of onlookers.

“Hey, thanks Doc.” He sighed. “But it’s hopeless.”

“Those old goats!” Juniper said. “Oh, Grover, they don’t know how hard you’ve tried!”

“There is another option,” Clarisse said darkly.

“No. No.” Juniper shook her head. “Grover, I won’t let you.”

His face was ashen. “I – I’ll have to think about it. But we don’t even know where to look.”

“What are you talking about?” Percy asked.

In the distance, a conch horn sounded.

Annabeth pursed her lips. “I’ll fill you in later. We’d better get back to our cabins. Inspection is starting.”

The Doctor and Percy made their way to the Poseidon cabin. Percy wasn’t the neatest person, and unfortunately, this incarnation of the Doctor was not either. So the cabin was not in what you call ideal shape.

The Demeter kids were sweeping out their cabin and making fresh flowers grow in their window boxes. The children in the Hermes cabin were scrambling around in a panic, stashing dirty laundry under their beds and accusing each other of taking stuff. At the Aphrodite cabin, Silena was just coming out and checking items of the inspection scroll.

The Poseidon cabin was at the end of the row on the right side. They opened the door, only to find Tyson sweeping the floor.

“Percy!” He bellowed, dripping his broom and embracing his half-brother. “Doctor!”

“Hey, big guy!” Percy said. “Ow, watch the ribs. The ribs.” Tyson put Percy down and the Doctor dodged a hug. 

“You are okay?” He asked the Doctor and Percy. “Not eaten by monsters?”

“Not even a little bit.” Percy smiled, showing off his limbs to the cyclops. Tyson clapped happily.

“Yay!” he said. “Now we can eat peanut butter sandwiches and ride fish ponies! We can fight monsters and see Annabeth and make things go BOOM!”

“You’ve done a brilliant job with the cabin.” The Doctor observed, changing the subject.

Percy’s gaze drifted down to a shield that hung on the wall.

“You fixed it!”

“Oh, my.” Silena Beauregard’s voice sounded from behind them, causing the Doctor, Percy, and Tyson to spin around. She was standing in the doorway with her inspection scroll. She stepped into the cabin, did a quick twirl, then raised her eyebrows at Percy. “Well, I had my doubts. But you clean up nicely, Percy. I’ll remember that.” She winked and left the room.

The Doctor, Percy, and Tyson spent the afternoon catching up. They made their way down to the forges and helped Beckendorf with his metalworking. Tyson showed everyone who would watch how he’d learned to craft magical weapons. He fashioned a flaming double-bladed war axe so quickly that even Beckendorf was impressed.

Whilst he worked, Tyson told the Doctor and Percy about his year under the sea. His eye lit up when he described the Cyclops' forges and the palace of Poseidon, but he also told of how tense things were at the moment. THe old gods of the sea, who’d ruled during Titan times, were beginning to make war on Poseidon. When Tyson had left, battles had been raging all over the Atlantic. 

After the forges, the Doctor, Percy, Tyson, and Annabeth spent some time at the canoe lake. Annabeth was very pleased to see Tyson again, but she was incredibly distracted. She kept looking over at the forest, she must have been thinking about Grover’s problem with the council.

“So, what’s the ‘other way’ that Clarisse mentioned?” The Doctor inquired. 

Annabeth picked up a stone and skipped it across the lake. “Something Clarisse scouted out. I helped her a little this spring. But it would be dangerous. Especially for Grover.”

“Goat boy scares me,” Tyson murmured.

“Why would you be scared of Grover?” Percy asked in complete confusion.

“Hooves and horns,” Tyson muttered nervously. “And goat fur makes my nose itchy.”

That pretty much ended the conversation about Grover.

That evening, the Doctor sat up awake.

_ “Please deposit one drachma.” _

The Doctor turned to see the rainbow colours shimmering in the small saltwater fountain. 

The Doctor stood up, as did Percy, who had spent the past few hours tossing and turning in bed.

Percy scooped up a golden drachma from the bottom of the fountain and threw it through the mist. The coin vanished.

“Oh, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow,” Percy whispered, “Show me…Uh, whatever you need to show me.”

The mist shimmered and the Doctor could see the dark shore of a river. Wisps of fog drifted across black water. The beach was strewn with jagged volcanic rock. A familiar young boy squatted at the riverbank, tending a campfire. It was Nico. The flames burned a blue colour around him. He was throwing pieces of paper into the fire – Mythomagic trading cards.

Nico’s hair had grown longer since the Doctor had seen him last. It was shaggy now and nearly touched his shoulders. His eyes were dark, and his olive skin was paler than ever. He wore ripped black jeans and a battered aviator’s jacket that was several sizes too big, unzipped over a black shirt. His face was grimy and his eyes a little too wild. He looked like a child who’d been living on the streets.

The Doctor and Percy stayed silent, unsure if Nico was even aware that they were there. It was evident that he had not sent the message, so the question was: who had?

Nico tossed another trading card into the blue flames. “Useless.” he muttered. “I can’t believe I ever liked this stuff.”

“A childish game, master.” Another voice agreed. It seemed to come from near the fire, but there was no one else around. Nico stared across the river. On that far shore was a black beach shrouded in haze. The Doctor recognized it immediately: Nico was in the Underworld. He was camping at the edge of the River Styx.

“I’ve failed,” he muttered. “There’s no way to get her back.”

The other voice stayed silent.

Nico turned towards it doubtfully. “Is there? Speak.”

Something shimmered, it was the form of a man – a wisp of blue smoke, a shadow. He existed not in the center of one’s vision, but in the corner of the eye. It was a ghost.

“It has never been done,” the ghost said. “But there may be a way.”

“Tell me,” Nico commanded, his eyes shining with a fierce light.

“An exchange,” the ghost said. “A soul for a soul.”

“I’ve offered!”

“Not yours,” the ghost said. “You cannot offer your father a soul he will eventually collect anyway. Nor will he be anxious for the death of his son. I mean a soul that should have died already. Someone who has cheated death.”

Nico’s face darkened. “Not that again. You’re talking about murder.”

“I’m talking about justice,” the ghost said. “Vengeance.”

“Those are the same thing.”

The ghost laughed dryly. “You will learn differently as you get older.”

Nico stared into the flames. “Why can’t I at least summon her? I want to talk to her. She would…she would help me.”

“ _ I  _ will help you.” The ghost promised. “Have I not saved you many times? Did I not lead you through the maze and teach you to use your powers? Do you want revenge for your sister or not?”

Nico turned from the fire so the ghost couldn’t see as a tear broke from his eye and slid down his face. “Very well. You have a plan?”

“Oh, yes,” the ghost said, sounding quite pleased. “We have many dark roads to travel. We must start –”

The image shimmered. Nico vanished. Iris’s voice said,  _ “Please deposit one drachma for another five minutes.” _

There were no other coins in the fountain, Percy grabbed for his pockets, but he was in his pajamas. He lunged for the nightstand to check for spare change, but the Iris-message had already blinked out, and the room went dark again. The connection was broken.

“Nico, he’s looking for someone who’s cheated death.” Percy said.

“Yes.”

“He’s looking for you, isn’t he?”

“Yes, I think he just might be.”


	3. A Hidden Entrance

The next morning, there was an abundance of excitement at breakfast.

Apparently, around three o’clock that morning, an Aethiopian drakon had been spotted at the borders of camp. The magical boundaries had kept the monster out, but he prowled the hills, looking for weak spots in the defence. He didn’t seem all that anxious to go away until Lee Fletcher from the Apollo cabin led a couple of his siblings in pursuit. After a few dozen arrows lodged in the chinks of the drakon’s armor, it withdrew.

“It’s still out there,” Lee warned during the announcements. “Twenty arrows in its hide, and we just made it mad. The thing was thirty feet long and bright green. Its eyes –” He shuddered.

“You did well, Lee.” Chiron patted him on the shoulder. “Everyone stay alert, but stay calm. This has happened before.”

“Aye,” Quintus said from the head table. “And it will happen again. More and more frequently.”

The campers murmured amongst themselves.

“This is a good reason for new war games,” Quintus continued, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “We’ll see how you all do with that tonight.”

“Yes…” Chiron said. “Well, enough announcements. Let us bless this meal and eat.” He raised his goblet. “To the gods!”

The room raised their glasses and repeated the blessing, then took their food to the fire and scraped a portion into the flames.

Once everyone was eating, Chiron and Grover came over to the Poseidon table to visit, Grover with bleary eyes. His shirt was inside-out and he slid his plate onto the table, slumping next to the Doctor.

Tyson shifted uncomfortably. “I will go…um…polish my fish ponies.”

The cyclops lumbered off, leaving his breakfast half-eaten.

Chiron tried for a smile, wanting to look reassuring. “How did you boy sleep?”

“Fine.” They both said. 

“I brought Grover over,” Chiron said, “because I thought you three might want to, ah, discuss matters. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some Iris-messages to send. I’ll see you later in the day.” He gave Grover a meaningful look, then trotted out of the pavilion.

“What was he talking about?” The Doctor asked curiously.

Grover chewed his eggs slowly. “He wants you to convince me.”

“What of?”

Annabeth slid beside Percy on the bench.

“I’ll tell you what it’s about,” she said. “The Labyrinth.”

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Percy said.

“We need to talk,” She insisted.

“But the rules…”

“Come on, who needs rules. I ignore the rules all the time.” The Doctor said, waving off Percy’s concerns. “What about the Labyrinth?”

“Look, this is the only way we can help Grover,” Annabeth said. “It’s the Labyrinth. That’s what Clarisse and I have been investigating.”

“You mean the maze where they kept the Minotaur, back in the old days?” Percy asked.

“Exactly.” Annabeth said.

“So…It’s not under the king’s palace in Crete anymore,” Percy guessed. “The Labyrinth is under some building in America.”

“No, it’s much too big for that,” The Doctor said pointedly, “It must stretch most of the country.”

“So…is the Labyrinth part of the Underworld?” Percy asked, clearly thinking of what he’d seen of Nico.

“No.” Annabeth frowned. “Well, there may be passages from the Labyrinth down  _ into  _ the Underworld. I’m not sure. But the Underworld is way, way down. The Labyrinth is right under the surface of the mortal world, kind of like a second skin. It’s been growing for thousands of years, lacing its way under Western cities, connecting everything together underground. You can get anywhere through the Labyrinth.”

“If you don’t get lost,” Grover muttered. “And die a horrible death.”

“Grover, there has to be a way,” Annabeth said, it sounded as though they’d had this conversation before. “Clarisse lived.”

“Barely!” Grover said. “And the other guy –”

“He was driven insane. He didn’t die.”

“Oh, joy.” Grover’s lower lip was quivering. “That makes me feel much better.”

“This other guy…” The Doctor asked.

Annabeth glanced over toward the Ares table. Clarisse was watching. She knew exactly what they were talking about, but at the sight of peering eyes, she fixed her gaze on her breakfast plate.”

“Last year,” Annabeth said, lowering her voice, “Clarisse went on a mission for Chiron.”

“I remember,” Percy said. “It was secret.”

Annabeth nodded. “It was secret because she found Chris Rodriguez.”

“The guy from the Hermes cabin?” Percy asked. The Doctor remembered the boy well. Two years ago, they’d eavesdropped on him aboard Luke’s ship.

“Yeah,” Annabeth said. “Last summer he just appeared in Phoenix, Arizona, near Clarisse’s mom’s house.”

“What do you mean he just appeared?” Percy asked.

“He was wandering around the desert, in a hundred and twenty degrees, in full Greek armor, babbling about string.”

“String?” The Doctor said.

“He’d been driven completely insane. Clarisse brought him back to her mom’s house so the mortals wouldn’t institutionalize him. She tried to nurse him back to health. Chiron came out and interviewed –”

“Interrogated.” The Doctor corrected. Annabeth shot him a dirty look.

“– Interviewed him, but it wasn’t much good. The only thing they got out of him was that Luke’s men have been exploring the Labyrinth.”

“Okay,” Percy said, “Why were they exploring the Labyrinth?”

“They’re scouting,” The Doctor said. “Percy, the Labyrinth can get you  _ anywhere.  _ To have that kind of power, to be able to just pop up anywhere, the advantage that can give you…” He knew better than most the power of that. He used it all the time.

“Chiron’s kept it hushed up because he doesn’t want anyone panicking. He got me involved because…well, the Labyrinth has always been one of my favorite subjects. The architecture involved –” Her expression turned a little dreamy. “The builder, Daedalus, was a genius. But the point is, the Labyrinth has entrances everywhere. The Doctor’s right. If Luke’s army could figure out how to navigate it…”

“Except it’s a maze, right?” Percy asked.

“Full of horrible traps,” Grover agreed. “Dead ends. Illusions. Psychotic goat-killing monsters.”

“But not if you had Ariadne’s string,” Annabeth said. “In the old days, Ariadne’s string guided Theseus out of the maze. It was a navigation instrument of some kind, invented by Daedalus. And Crhis Rodrigues was mumbling something about string.”

“Luke must be trying to find Ariadne’s string.” The Doctor reasoned. “Do we know of any entrances into the camp itself?”

Annabeth shook her head. “The closest entrances Clarisse found were in Manhattan, which wouldn’t help Luke get past our borders. Clarisse explored a little way into the tunnels, but…it was very dangerous. She had some close calls. I researched everything I could find about Daedalus. I’m afraid it didn’t help much. I don’t understand exactly what Luke’s planning, but I do know this: the Labyrinth might be the key to Grover’s problem.”

Percy blinked. “You think Pan is underground?”

“That would explain why he’s been impossible to find.”

Grover shuddered. “Satyrs hate going underground. No searcher would ever try going in  _ that  _ place. No flowers. No sunshine. No coffee shops!”

“But,” Annabeth said, “The Labyrinth can lead you almost anywhere. It reads your thoughts. It was designed to fool you, to trick you and kill you; but if you can make the Labyrinth work  _ for  _ you –”

“It could lead you to Pan.” The Doctor said.

“I can’t do it.” Grover hugged his stomach. “Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up my silverware.”

“Grover, it may be your last chance,” Annabeth said. “The council is serious.  _ One  _ week or you learn to tap dance!”

Over at the head table, Quintus cleared his throat, making it very clear that Annabeth was pushing it by sitting at the Poseidon table for too long.

“We’ll talk later.” Annabeth promised. “Convince him, will you?”

She returned to the Athena table, ignoring all the people who were staring at her.

Grover buried his head in his hands. “I can’t do it. My searcher's license. Pan. I’m going to lose it all. I’ll have to start a puppet theatre.”

“Listen, Grover,” The Doctor said, “I will  _ not  _ let that happen. But this is our best chance.”

“I have to leave,” Grover said miserably. “Juniper’s waiting for me. It’s a good thing she finds cowards attractive.”

“Grover –” But the satyr was already long gone. 

That evening, after dinner, Quintus had the campers suit up in combat armor. The crates were no longer in the arena, and the Doctor suspected that whatever had been within them were now in the woods.

“Right,” Quintus said, standing on the head dining table. “Gather ‘round.”

Quintus was dressed in black leather and bronze. Mrs. O’Leary bounded happily around him, forging for dinner scraps.

“You will be in teams of three,” Quintus announced. Once everyone else began talking and trying to grab their friends, he yelled: “Which have already been chosen!”

“Awwwwww.” Complaints echoed around the arena.

“Your goal is simple: collect the gold laurels without dying. The wreath is wrapped in a silk package, tied to the back of one of the monsters. There are six monsters. Each has a silk package. Only one holds the laurels. You must find the wreath before the other teams. And, of course…you will have to slay the monster to get it, and stay alive.”

The crowd began to murmur excitedly.

“I will now announce your teammates,” Quintus said. “There will be no trading. No switching. No complaining.” He produced a large scroll and began reading off names. Beckendorf would be with Silena Beauregard and Lee Fletcher, The Stoll brothers would be together, no surprise there, alongside Clarisse, which was relatively concerning. Quintus kept rattling off the names until he said, “Percy Jackson, John Smith, Annabeth Chase.”

“Nice.” Percy grinned at Annabeth.

“Your armor is crooked.” Annabeth readied Percy’s straps for him.

“Grover Underwood with William Solace,” Quintus looked at his scroll, “And Tyson.”

Grover just about jumped out of his fur. “What? B-but –”

“No, no,” Tyson whimpered. “Must be a mistake. Goat boy –”

“No complaining!” Quintus ordered. “Get with your teams. You have two minutes to prepare!”

It was still light when the Doctor, Annabeth, and Percy got into the woods, but the trees blocked out most of it. It was times like this that made the Doctor feel like the ultimate, intergalactic third-wheel.

They found tracks almost immediately – scuttling marks made by something with a great number of legs. They began to follow it.

The trio jumped into a creek when they heard twigs snapping nearby. They crouched behind a boulder, but it was only the Stoll brothers and Clarisse. The boys were tripping through the woods and cursing as Clarisse cursed at them for making so much noise.

Once they had passed, the Doctor, Percy, and Annabeth forged deeper into the west woods where the monsters were wilder. They were standing on a ledge overlooking a marshy pond where Annabeth tensed. “This is where we stopped looking.”

Yes. Last winter, this is where they had stopped looking for Nico. Unbeknownst to them, the Doctor had forged further for hours.

“We saw him last night.” Percy admitted.

Annabeth knitted her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

The Doctor explained what they’d seen in the Iris-message. Once he was done, she stared into the shadows of the woods. “He’s summoning the dead? That’s not good.”

“The ghost was giving him bad advice,” Percy said. “Telling him to take revenge.”

“Yeah…spirits are never god advisors. They've got their own agendas. Old grudges. And they resent the living.”

“We think he’s going after the Doctor.”

Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

“Someone who’s escaped death.” The Doctor said shortly.

Annabeth nodded.

“But who sent the Iris-message?” Percy asked. “If Nico didn’t know we were there –”

A branch snapped in the wood. Dry leaves rustled. Something large was moving in the trees, just beyond the ridge.

The Doctor gestured for them to be quiet. Percy and Annabeth drew their swords.

The trio made their way to Zeus’s Fist. 

_ Over there.  _ Annabeth gestured. 

_ Wait.  _ Percy held up his hand.  _ Behind us. _

“Hi.”

The Doctor whirled around, face to face with Juniper. 

“Put those down!” She protested. “Dryads don’t like sharp blades, okay?”

“Juniper,” Annaebth exhaled, she and Percy lowering their swords. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

“In the boulders?” Percy asked.

She pointed towards the edge of the clearing. “In the juniper. Duh.”

“Oh.”

“Are you guys busy?” The nymph asked.

“Well –” Percy began, but the Doctor cut him off.

“No, what’s wrong?”

Juniper sniffled. She wiped her silky sleeve under her eyes. “It’s Grover. He seems so distraught. All year he’s been out looking for Pan. And every time he comes back, it’s worse. I thought maybe, at first, he was seeing another tree.”

“No,” Annabeth said, as Juniper started crying. I’m sure that’s not it.”

“He had a crush on a blueberry bush once,” Juniper said miserably.

“Juniper,” Annabeth said, “Grover would never even  _ look  _ at another tree. He’s just stressed out about his searcher’s license.”

“He can’t go underground!” She protested. “You can’t let him.”

Annabeth looked uncomfortable. “It might be the only way to help him; if we just knew where to start.”

“Ah.” Juniper wiped a green tear from her cheek. “About that…”

Another rustle in the woods, and Juniper yelled, “Hide!” 

Before they could ask why, she disappeared into green mist.

The Doctor, Annabeth, and Percy turned and coming from the woods was a glistening amber insect, ten feet in length, with jagged pincers, an armored tail, and a stinger the length of a sword. A massive scorpion. Tied to its back was a red silk package.

“One of us gets behind it,” Annabeth said as it clattered towards them, “Someone with a sword preferably,” She gave the Doctor a pointed look. “Someone else should distract it up front.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes, “I’ll be the distraction.”

Without warning, two more scorpions appeared from the woods. 

_ “Three?”  _ Annabeth said. “That’s not possible! The whole woods, and half the monsters came at us?”

The scorpions scurried towards the group. Annabeth, Percy, and the Doctor had their backs against the nearest boulder.

“Climb?” Percy suggested.

“No time.” Annabeth said.

“I’ll make a distraction.” The Doctor said.

“You’ll get yourself killed,” Annabeth hissed, “Come on, in here.”

“In there? It’s too narrow.” Percy said.

“I’ll cover you. Go!”

Percy slid in first, followed by the Doctor, then in-came Annabeth.

Their breathing echoed against the stone. It was wet and cold. Percy lifted Riptide. The faint glow of the blade was just enough to illuminate the mossy stone walls on either side of them.

“Wh-where are we?” Annabeth asked.

“Safe from scorpions, anyway.” Percy said. He was trying to sound calm, but the Doctor could hear the terror in his voice. 

“It’s a long room,” Percy observed, lifting his sword for further light.

“It’s not a room.” The Doctor breathed, “It’s a corridor.”

The Doctor started forth, but Annabeth grabbed him. “Don’t take another step. We need to find the exit.”

“Fine. But I’m coming back to explore.”

“Two steps back,” She advised. They stepped back together. “Okay, help me examine the walls.”

“What for?” Percy asked.

“The mark of Daedalus,” she said.

“The Delta.” The Doctor whispered to Percy.

“It’s right here.” The Doctor said, pointing at it on the wall.

“You can see it?”

“Yeah, superior Time Lord vision.” The Doctor said. 

“Whatever.” Annabeth pushed it, and the roof slid open. Metal rungs appeared from the side of the wall. It was darker than before. The Doctor was bombarded with time. He cursed in Gallifreyan.

“We’ve been gone fifty minutes.”

“What?”

“We’re here!” The Doctor called into the darkness. He could hear voices calling for them. 

“Where have you been?” Clarisse demanded, making her way towards them as the three climbed out from the corridor. “We’ve been looking forever.”

“Long story,” The Doctor said, dusting off his trenchcoat.

“Percy!” Tyson said as he, Grover, and Chiron hurried over. “You okay?”

“We’re fine,” He said. “We fell in a hole.”

The others looked at the group skeptically, then at the Doctor and Annabeth.

“Chiron,” the Doctor said, “We need to talk to you in the Big House.”

Clarisse gasped. “You found it, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” The Doctor admitted.

A number of campers began asking questions, looking confused. Chiron raised his hand for silence.

“Tonight is not the right time, and this is not the right place.” He stared at the boulders. “All of you, back to your cabins. Get some sleep. A game well played, but curfew is past!”

There was a lot of mumbling and complaints, but the campers drifted off, talking amongst themselves.

“This explains a lot,” Clarisse said. “It explains what Luke is after.”

“Wait a second,” Percy said. “What do you mean? What did we find?”

“An entrance, Percy.” The Doctor said, “We’ve found an entrance into the Labyrinth. Right in the heart of our camp.”


	4. The New Prophecy

Chiron had insisted that they speak in the morning, and so the Doctor and Percy retired to the Poseidon cabin. That evening, the Doctor dove into Percy’s dreams once more.

There was a boy in a Greek tunic and sandals crouching alone in a massive stone room. The ceiling was open to the night sky, but the walls were twenty feet high and polished marble, completely smooth. Scattered around the room were wooden crates, some cracked and tipped over. 

The boy huddled in the corner was shivering, whether from cold or fear the Doctor did not know. He was spattered in mud, and his legs, arms, and face were scraped up. He looked to have been dragged in alongside the boxes.

The double oak doors creaked open, and two guards in bronze armor marched in. In their grasp was an older man, between them. They flung him onto the floor in a heap beside the boy.

“Father!” The boy ran to him. The man’s robes were in tatters, and his nose looked to be broken in two separate places. His lips were bloody and his beard was long and curly.

The boy took his father’s head into his arms. “What did they do to you?” Then, he yelled at the guards, “I’ll kill you!” 

“There will be no killing today,” a voice said. 

The guards moved aside. Behind them stood a tall man in white robes. He wore a thin circlet of gold on his head. His beard was pointed, and his eyes glinted cruelly. “You helped the Athenian kill my Minotaur, Daedalus. You turned my own daughter against me.”

“You did that yourself, Your Majesty,” the old man croaked.

A guard placed a kick in the man’s ribs. He groaned in agony. The young boy cried, “Stop!”

“You love your maze so much,” the king said, “I have decided to let you stay here. This will be your workshop. Make me new wonders. Amuse me. Every maze needs a monster. You shall be mine!”

“I don’t fear you,” the older man groaned. 

The king smiled coldly, locking his eyes on the boy. “But a man cares about his son, eh? Displease me, old man, and the next time my guards inflict a punishment, it will be on him!”

The king swept out from the room with his guards. The doors slammed shut, leaving the boy and his father alone in the darkness.

“What will we do?” The boy moaned. “Father, they will kill you!”

The man swallowed thickly. “Take heart, my son.” He gazed up at the stars. “I – I will find a way.”

A bar lowered across the doors with a fatal  _ Boom,  _ and the Doctor was pulled from the dream.

The next morning, the Doctor made his way to the sword arena for the war council. 

Chiron and Quintus stood at the front by the weapon racks. Clarisse and Annabeth sat beside each other and led the briefing. Tyson and Grover sat as far away from each other as possible. Also present around the table was Juniper, Silena Beauregard, the Stoll brothers, Lee Fletcher, and Argus. The entire time Annabeth spoke, Argus kept his hundred blue eyes trained on her so hard that his entire body turned bloodshot.

“Luke must have known about the Labyrinth entrance,” Annabeth said. “He knew everything about camp.”

Juniper cleared her throat. “That’s what I was trying to tell you last night. The cave entrance has been there a long time. Luke used to use it.”

Silena Beauregard frowned. “You knew about the Labyrinth entrance, and you didn't say anything?”

Juniper’s face turned a bit green. “I didn’t know it was important. Just a cave. I don’t like yucky old caves.”

“She has good taste,” Grover said.

“I wouldn’t have paid any attention except…well, it was Luke.” She blushed a little greener.

Grover huffed. “Forget what I said about good taste.”

“Interesting.” Quintus polished his sword as he spoke. “And you believe this young man, Luke, would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?”

“Definitely,” Clarisse said. “If he could get an army of monsters inside Camp Half-Blood, just pop up in the middle of the woods without having to worry about our magical boundaries, we wouldn’t stand a chance. He could wipe us out easy. He must’ve been planning this for months.”

“He’s been sending scouts into the maze,” Annabeth said. “We know because…because we found one.”

“Chris Rodriguez,” Chiron said, giving Quintus a meaningful look.

“Ah,” Quintus said. “The one in the…Yes. I understand.”

“The one in the what?” Percy asked.

Clarisse glared at Percy. “The point is, Luke has been looking for a way to navigate the maze. He’s searching for Daedalus’s workshop.”

“The guy who created the maze.” Percy said.

“Yes,” Annabeth said. “The greatest architect, the greatest inventor of all time. If the legends are true, his workshop is in the center of the Labyrinth. He’s the only one who knew how to navigate the maze perfectly. If Luke managed to find the workshop and convince Daedalus to help him, Luke wouldn’t have to fumble around searching for paths, or risk losing his army in the maze’s traps. He could navigate anywhere he wanted – quickly and safely. First the Camp Half-Blood to wipe us out. Then…to Olympus.”

The arena was silent except for Mrs. O’Leary’s toy yak getting disemboweled.

Finally, Beckendorf put his hands on the table. “Back up a sec. Annabeth, you said, ‘convince Daedalus’? Isn’t Daedalus dead?”

Quintus grunted. “I would hope so. He lived, what, three thousand years ago? And even if he were alive, don’t the olds stories say he fled from the Labyrinth?”

Chiron clopped restlessly on his hooves. “That’s the problem, my dear Quintus. No one knows. There are rumors…well, there are  _ many  _ disturbing rumors about Daedalus, but one is that he disappeared back into the Labyrinth towards the end of his life. He might still be down there.”

“We need to go in,” Annabeth announced. “We have to find the workshop before Luke does. If Daedalus is alive, we convince him to help us, not Luke. If Ariadne’s string still exists, we make sure it never falls into Luke’s hands.”

“Wait a second,” Percy said. “If we’re worried about an attack, why not just blow up the entrance? Seal the tunnel?”

“Great idea!” Grover said. “I’ll get the dynamite!”

“It’s not so easy, stupid.” Clarisse growled. “We tried that at the entrance we found in Phoenix. It didn’t go well.”

Annabeth nodded. “The Labyrinth is magical architecture, Percy. It would take huge power to seal even one of its entrances. In Phoenix, Clarisse demolished an entire building with a wrecking ball, and the maze entrance ust shifted a few feet. The best we can do is prevent Luke from learning to navigate the Labyrinth.”

“We could fight,” Lee Fletcher suggested. “We know where the entrance is now. We can set up a defensive line and wait for them. If an army tries to come through, they’ll find us waiting with our bows.”

“We will certainly set up defenses,” Chiron agreed. “But I fear Clarisse is right. The magical borders have kept this camp safe for hundreds of years. If Luke manages to get a large army of monsters into the center of camp, bypassing our boundaries…we may not have the strength to defeat them.”

Chiron was usually optimistic, so to hear him say this, was not particularly encouraging. 

“We have to get to Daedalus’s workshop first,” Annabeth insisted. “Find Ariadne’s string and prevent Luke from using it.”

“But if nobody can navigate in there,” Percy said, “What chance do we have?”

“I’ve been studying architecture for years,” she said. “I know Daedalus’s Labyrinth better than anybody.”

“First thing’s first,” Chiron said, “We need a quest. Someone must enter the Labyrinth, find the workshop of Daedalus, and prevent Luke from using the maze to invade this camp.”

“We all know who should lead this,” Clarisse said. “Annabeth.”

There was a murmur of agreement, but Annabeth looked slightly uncomfortable.

“You’ve done as much as I have, Clarisse,” she said. “You should go too.”

Clarisse shook her head. “I’m not going back in there.”

Travis Stoll laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re scared. Clarisse, chicken?”

“Oi!” The Doctor glared at the boy, who shrunk down. “If Clarisse doesn’t want to go, she doesn’t have to. You will  _ not  _ mock her for her decision. Understood?”

Travis nodded hastily.

“Right, now, do we have an agreement that Annabeth should lead the quest?” Chiron asked.

Everyone nodded besides Quintus, who folded his arms and stared at the table.

“Very well.” Chiron turned to Annabeth. “My dear, it’s your time to visit the Oracle. Assuming you return to us in once piece, we shall discuss what to do next.”

“Doctor.” Juniper whispered to the Doctor from the bushes as he awaited Annabeth’s return. “You need to know: Luke wasn’t the only one I saw around that cave.”

“What?” The Doctor moved in closer

She glanced back at the arena. “I was trying to say something, but he was right there.”

“Who?”

“The sword master,” she said. “He was poking around the rocks.”

“Quintus?”

She nodded rapidly. “He’s creepy, Doctor. I didn’t even see him come into the glade. Suddenly he was just  _ there.  _ You have to tell Grover it’s too dangerous –”

“Juniper?” Grover called from inside the arena. “Where'd you go?”

Juniper sighed. “I’d better go in. Just remember what I said. Don’t trust that man!”

She ran into the arena.

Then, the Doctor saw Percy’s figure hurrying down the hill and across the fields to the Big House. Curiously, the Doctor followed.

The front parlor of the Big House was strangely quiet. The floorboards creaked under the Doctor’s feet as he walked down the corridor. At the base of the stairs, the Doctor poked Percy, who had hesitated.

He jumped violently, then, in seeing who it was, let out a breath of relief. He gestured beneath them and pointed at his ears. The Doctor could hear it. It was the sound of sobbing.

The Doctor and Percy crept around the back of the stairs to where the basement door lay open. Inside, the Doctor could see two figures in the far corner, sitting amid loads of stockpiled cases of ambrosia and strawberry preserves. One was Clarisse. The other was a teenage Hispanic boy in tattered camouflage pants and a dirty black T-shirt. His hair was greasy and matted. He was hugging his shoulders and sobbing. It was Chris Rodriguez.

“It’s okay,” Clarisse said soothingly. “Try a little more nectar.”

“You’re an illusion, Mary!” Chris backed farther into the corner. “G-get away.”

“My name’s not Mary,” Clarisse said softly, “My name is Clarisse. Remember. Please. 

“It’s dark!” Chris yelled. “So dark!”

“Come outside,” Clarisse coaxed. “The sunlight will help you.”

“A…a thousand skulls.. The earth keeps healing him.”

“Chris,” Clarisse pleaded, “You have to get better. Please. Mr. D will be back soon. He’s an expert in madness. Just hang on.”

Chris’s eyes were wild and desperate. “There’s no way out, Mary. No way out.”

It was then that Chris caught sight of the Doctor. “Lord of Time! He’s horrible!”

“I know, I know, it’s okay.” Clarisse said soothingly. The Doctor pulled back. Chris hadn’t been talking about Kronos. 

There was a creak from above, the attic door opening. The Doctor and Percy sprinted out the front door.

“My dear,” Chiron said. “You made it.”

Annabeth walked into the arena. She sat on a stone bench and stared at the floor.

“Well?” Quintus asked.

Annabeth looked at Percy, something passed between them. She then focused on Quintus. “I got the prophecy. I will lead the quest to find Daedalus’s workshop.”

Chiron scraped a hoof on the dirt floor. “What did the prophecy say exactly, my dear? The wording is important.”

Annabeth took a deep breath. “I, ah…well, it said,  _ ‘You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze…’” _

A pause.

_ “‘The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise.” _

Grover perked up. “The lost one! That must mean Pan! That’s great!”

“With the dead and the traitor,” Percy added. “Not so great.”

“And?” Chiron prompted. “What is the rest?”

_ “‘You shall rise or fall by the ghost king’s hand,’”  _ Annabeth said,  _ “‘the child of Athena’s final stand.’” _

Everyone looked around uncomfortably.

“Hey…we shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Silena said. “Annabeth isn’t the only child of Athena, right?”

“But who’s this ghost king?” Beckendorf asked.

“Are there more lines?” Chiron asked. “The prophecy does not sound complete.”

Annabeth hesitated. “I don’t remember exactly.”

A massive lie. Annabeth was notorious for her impeccable memory. 

Annabeth shifted on her bench uncomfortably as Chiron raised an eyebrow at her. “Something about… _ ’Destroy with a hero’s final breath.” _

“And?” Chiron asked.

She stood. “Look, the point is, I have to go in. I’ll find the workshop and stop Luke. And…I need help.” She turned to Percy. “Will you come?”

He didn’t even hesitate. “I’m in.”

“Doctor, what about you?”

“Always.”

She smiled. “Grover, you too? The wild god is waiting.”

Grover seemed to forget how much he hated the underground. The line about the ‘lost one’ had completely rejuvenated him. “I’ll pack extra recyclables for snacks!”

“And Tyson,” Annabeth said. “I’ll need you too.”

“Yay! Blow-things-up time!” Tyson clapped his hands so hard that he woke Mrs. O’Leary, who had been sleeping in the corner.

“Wait, Annabeth,” Chiron said. “This goes against the ancient laws. A hero is allowed only to companions.”

“I don’t care.” Annabeth said. “I need them all.”

Chiron made a concerned face. “Five is risky…”

“I know. But we have to. Please.”

“Very well.” Chirons sighed. “Let us adjourn. The members of the quest must prepare themselves. Tomorrow at dawn, we send you into the Labyrinth.”

Quintus pulled the Doctor aside as the council was breaking up.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” he said.

Mrs. O’Leary came over, wagging her tail happily, dropping a shield at the Doctor’s feet. The Time Lord threw it, and she romped after it. 

“I don’t like the idea of you going down there,” he said. “Any of you. But if you must, I want you to remember something. The Labyrinth exists to fool you. It will distract you. That’s dangerous for half-bloods, and even more dangerous for you.”

“You know who I am.” It was not a question. 

“Yes, I do Doctor. We met long ago, though I doubt you remember. Or perhaps it’s not happened for you yet.”

“And you’ve been in the Labyrinth before.”

“Yes, yes I have. Long ago, and I barely escaped with my life. Most who enter aren’t that lucky.” He sighed. “You must resist the distractions the Labyrinth presents you with. Keep your mind on what matters most. If you can do that, you may just find the way. Please, take this.” He handed the Doctor a small silver tube, cold as ice.

“A whistle?”

“A dog whistle,” Quintus corrected. “For Mrs. O’Leary. She is a hellhound and will appear when called, no matter how far away she is. I’d feel better knowing you had it. If you really need help, use it; but be careful, the whistle is made of Stygian ice.”

The Doctor hummed. “From the River Styx? Brilliant, that stuff is. Difficult to craft. Very delicate.”

“It will shatter when you blow it,” Quintus nodded. “So you can only use it once.”

“Thank you.” The Doctor nodded, sliding it into a pocket. Whether he would trust Quintus enough to use it or not, he was unsure.


	5. Into the Darkness

That night, in Percy’s dreams, the Doctor found himself in the stateroom of the  _ Princess Andromeda.  _ The windows were open on the moonlit sea. Cool wind rustled the velvet drapes.

Luke knelt on a Persian rug before the golden sarcophagus of Kronos.In the moonlight, Luke’s blonde hair looked pure white. He wore an ancient Greek chiton and a white himation. He looked healthier than he had on Mount Tam. Too healthy. Unnaturally so.

“Our spies report success, my lord,” he said. “Camp Half-Blood is sending a quest, as you predicted. Our side of the bargain is almost complete.”

_ “Excellent.”  _ The voice of Kronos pierced the Doctor’s mind like a dagger.  _ “Once we have the means to navigate, I will lead the vanguard through myself.” _

Luke closed his eyes, collecting his thoughts. “My lord, perhaps it is too soon. Perhaps Krios or Hyperion should lead –”

_ “No.”  _ The voice was quiet but firm.  _ “I will lead. One more heart shall join our cause, and that will be sufficient. At last I shall rise fully from Tartarus.” _

“But the form, my lord…” Luke’s voice began shaking.

_ “Show me your sword, Luke Castellan.” _

Luke drew his sword. Backbiter’s double edge glowed wickedly.

_ “You pledged yourself to me,”  _ the Titan Lord reminded the boy.  _ “You took this sword as proof of your oath.” _

“Yes, my lord. It’s just –”

_ “You wanted power. I gave you that. You are now beyond harm. Soon you will rule the world of gods and mortals. Do you not wish to avenge yourself? To see Olympus destroyed?” _

A shiver ran through Luke’s body. “Yes.”

The coffin glowed, golden light filling the room.  _ “Then make ready the strike force. As soon as the bargain is done, we shall move forth. First, Camp Half-Blood will be reduced to ashes. Once those bothersome heroes are eliminated, we will march on Olympus.” _

There was a knock on the stateroom doors. The light of the coffin faded. Luke rose, sheathing his sword and adjusting his white clothes. He took a deep breath.

“Come in.”

The doors opened. Two dracaenae slithered in, and betwixt them; Kelli. 

“Hello, Luke.” Kelli smiled. She was wearing a red dress.

“What is it, demon?” Luke’s voice was cold. “I told you not to disturb me.”

Kelli pouted. “That’s not very nice. You look tense. How about a nice shoulder massage?”

Luke stepped back. “If you have something to report, say it. Otherwise, leave!”

“I don’t know why you’re so huffy these days. You  _ used  _ to be fun to hang around.”

“That was before I saw what you did to that boy in Seattle.”

“Oh, he meant nothing to me,” Kelli said. “Just a snack, really. You know my heart belongs to you, Luke.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. Now report or get out.”

Kelli shrugged. “Fine. The advance team is ready, as you requested. We can leave –” She frowned.

“What is it?” Luke asked.

“A presence,” Kelli said. “Your senses are getting dull, Luke. We’re being watched.”

She scanned the stateroom. Her eyes focused directly at Percy. Her face whitered, she bared her fangs, and she lunged.

The Doctor opened his eyes. Percy did too. The boy stared at the Time Lord. “How did she know?”

“Her senses are better than a half-blood’s.” The Doctor said. 

Percy sighed. He looked exhausted, but clearly didn’t want to go back to bed. His eyes drifted to the fountain.

It was brighter than normal. There was an aura of urgency that it emitted.

“Show me Nico di Angelo.” Percy said. 

He didn’t even need to throw a coin in for the water to shimmer and for Nico to appear. He was no longer in the Underworld, but standing in a graveyard under a starry sky. Willow trees loomed all around him.

He was watching some gravediggers at work. He was dressed in a black cloak. A large shopping bag sat beside the boy’s feet.

“Is it deep enough yet?” he asked, sounding irritated.

“Nearly, my lord.” The ghost said, “But my lord, I tell you, this is unnecessary. You already have me for advice.”

“I want a second opinion!” Nico snapped his fingers and the digging stopped. Two skeletons clambered from the hole. “You are dismissed. Thank you.”

The skeletons collapsed into piles of bones.

“You might as well thank the shovels,” the ghost complained. “They have as much sense.”

Nico ignored him, reaching into his bag and pulling out a twelve-pack of Coke. He popped open a can and poured it into the grave.

“Let the dead taste again,” he murmured. “Let them rise and take this offering. Let them remember.” He dropped the rest of the Cokes into the grave and pulled out a white paper bag decorated with cartoons. A McDonald’s Happy Meal.

He turned it upside down and shook the meal from the bag into the grave.

“In my day, we used animal blood,” the ghost mumbled. “It’s perfectly good enough. They can’t taste the difference.”

“I will treat them with respect.” Nico said.

“At least let me keep the toy,” the ghost said.

“Be quiet!” Nico ordered, and emptied another twelve-pack of cola into the grave alongside three more Happy Meals. He then began chanting in Ancient Greek.

The grave began to bubble, frothy brown liquid rose to the top. The fog thickened, the frogs stopped croaking. Dozens of figures began to appear amongst the gravestones: dead humans.

“There are too many,” the ghost said anxiously. “You don’t know your own powers.”

“I’ve got it under control,” Nico said, but his voice sounded fragile. He drew his sword – a short blade made from solid black metal. The crowd of undead retreated at the sight of it.

“One at a time,” Nico commanded. 

A single figure floated forth and knelt at the pool. They made slurping sounds as they drank. Their ghostly hands scooped french fries out from the pool. When they stood once more, they were much more clearly defined – a teenage boy in Greek armor. He had curly hair and green eyes, and a clasp shaped like a seashell on his cloak.

“Who are you?” Nico said. “Speak.”

The young man frowned as though he were trying to remember. He then spoke in a voice that was dry. “I am Theseus.”

Percy looked at the Doctor with excitement.

“How can I retrieve my sister?” Nico asked.

Theseus’s eyes were lifeless and glassy. “Do not try. It is madness.”

“Just tell me!”

“My stepfather died,” Theseus remembered. “He threw himself into the sea because he thought I was dead in the Labyrinth. I wanted to bring him back, but I could not.”

Nico’s ghost friend hissed, “My lord, the soul exchange! Ask him about that!”

Theseus scowled. “That voice. I know that voice.”

“No you don’t fool!” The ghost said. “Answer the lord’s questions and nothing more!”

“I know you,” Theseus insisted, as if struggling to recall.

“I want to hear about my sister,” Nico said. “Will this quest into the Labyrinth help me win her back?”

Theseus was looking for the ghost, but could not see him. Slowly, he returned his eyes to Nico. “The Labyrinth is treacherous. There is only one thing that saw me through: the love of a mortal girl. The string was only part of the answer. It was the princess who guided me.”

“We don’t need any of that,” the ghost said. “I will guide you, my lord. Ask him if it is true about the exchange of souls. He will tell you.”

“A soul or a soul,” Nico asked. “Is it true?”

“I – I must say yes. But the specter –”

“Just answer the questions, knave!” the ghost said.

Suddenly, around the edges of the pool, the other ghosts became restless. They stirred, whispering in nervous tones. 

“I want to see my sister!” Nico demanded. “Where is she?”

“He is coming,” Theseus said fearfully. “He has sensed your summons. He comes.”

“Who?” Nico demanded.

“He comes to find the source of this power,” Theseus said. “You must release us.”

The entire Poseidon cabin was trembling, humming with power. It grew louder and louder and Nico’s image began to glow.

“Stop,” Percy said aloud. “Stop it!”

The fountain began to crack, the Doctor pulled Percy from it, but in desperation, the boy uncapped Riptide and slashed at the fountain cleaving it in two. Salt water spilled everywhere, and the great stone font crashed to the floor in pieces.

Percy sunk to the ground, shivering from what he’d seen. The Doctor sat with him there for the rest of the night.

Just after dawn, the Doctor, Percy, Tyson, Grover, and Annabeth met at Zeus’s Fist. Juniper and Grover stood apart from the group. Juniper had clearly been crying again and was desperately trying to keep it together for Grover’s sake. She kept fussing about his clothes, straightening his rasta cap, and brushing goat fur from his shirt. Since they had no clue what they would encounter, he was dressed as a human, with a cap to hide his horns, and jeans, false feet, and sneakers to hide his goat legs.

Chiron, Quintus, and Mrs. O’Leary stood with the other campers who’d come to wish the group well. A couple of tents had been set up by the rocks for guard duty. Beckendorf and his half-siblings were working on a line of defensive spikes and trenches. Chiron had decided they needed to guard the Labyrinth exit at all times, just in case.

Annabeth was doing one last check on her supply pack, when the Doctor, Tyson, and Percy made their way over.

“Percy, you look terrible.”

“He killed the water fountain last night.” Tyson confided.

“What?”

Before either Percy or the Doctor could explain, Chiron trotted over. “Well, it appears you are ready!”

He was clearly trying to sound upbeat, but he was anxious. “Hey, uh, Chiron, can I ask you a favor while I’m gone?” Percy asked.

“Of course, my boy.”

“Be right back, guys – er – Doctor, could you…?”

“‘Course.”

The Doctor, Percy, and Chiron walked out of earshot.

“Last night,” Percy said. “I dreamed about Luke and Kronos.” He told the centaur the details. The news seemed to weigh on his shoulders.

“I feared this,” Chiron said. “Against my father, Kronos, we would stand no chance in a fight.”

“Do you know what he meant about a bargain?” the Doctor asked.

“I am not sure, but I fear they seek to make a deal with Daedalus. If the old inventor is truly alive, if he has not been driven insane by millennia in the Labyrinth…well, Kronos can find ways to twist anyone to his will.”

“Not anyone.” Percy promised.

Chiron managed a smile. “No. Perhaps not anyone. But, Percy, you must beware. I have worried for some time that Kronos may be looking for Daedalus for a different reason, not just passage through the maze.” 

“What else would he want?” Percy asked.

“Something Annabeth and I were discussing. Do you remember what you told me about your first trip to the  _ Princess Andromeda,  _ the first time you saw the golden coffin?”

Percy nodded. “Luke was talking about raising Kronos, little pieces of him appearing in the coffin every time someone new joined his cause.”

“And what did Luke say they would do when Kronos has risen completely?”

“He said they would make Kronos a new body, worthy of the forges of Hephaestus.” Percy said.

“Indeed,” Chiron said. “Daedalus was the world’s greatest inventor. He created the Labyrinth, but much more. Automations, thinking machines…What if Kronos wishes Daedalus to make him a new form?”

Yeah, that wasn’t a particularly good thought.

“We’ve got to get to Daedalus first,” Percy said. “And convince him not to.”

Chiron stared off into the trees. “One other thing I do not understand…this talk of a last soul joining their cause. That does not bode well.

There was a long pause. The Doctor could tell that Percy too was thinking about Nico.

“I don’t know,” The Doctor said, “But Juniper told me something that you ought to know.” The Doctor told the centaur what Juniper had observed.

Chiron’s jaw tightened. “That does not surprise me.”

“It doesn’t sur – It surprised me – you mean you knew?” Percy asked.

“Boys, when Quintus showed up at camp offering his services…well, I would have to be a fool not to be suspicious.”

“Then why did you let him in?” Percy asked.

“Because sometimes it is better to have someone you mistrust close to you, so that you can keep an eye on him.”

“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” The Doctor agreed.

“He may be just what he says: a half-blood in search of a home,” Chiron said, “Certainly, he has done nothing openly that would make me question his loyalty. But believe me, I will keep an eye –”

Annabeth trudged over. “You guys ready?”

“Yep.” The Doctor said as Percy nodded.

“Take care,” Chiron said, “and good hunting.”

“You too.”

The Doctor, Percy, and Annabeth returned to the rocks where Tyson and Grover were waiting. 

“Well,” Grover said nervously, peering into the crack between the boulders, “goodbye sunshine.”

“Hello rocks,” Tyson agreed.

Together, the five heroes descended into darkness.


	6. A Meeting with the Goddess Hera

The five heroes made it maybe thirty meters before they were hopelessly lost. The tunnel looked nothing like the one the Doctor, Percy, and Annabeth had stumbled into before. Instead of a long corridor, it was now round and constructed of red brick with iron-barred portholes every three meters. The Doctor looked through one of the portholes, but saw nothing. 

Annabeth tried her best to guide the group, instructioning for them to stay to the left wall so as to not get lost. But unfortunately, the left wall soon disappeared and they found themselves in the middle of a circular chamber with eight tunnels leading out. 

“Um, which way did we come in?” Grover asked nervously.

“Just turn around,” Annabeth said. 

Each hero turned towards a different tunnel. 

The Doctor cursed in Gallifreyan, he skimmed his torch down across the floor, searching for signs of where they’d stepped, only to find nothing.

“Left walls are mean,” Tyson said. “Which way now?”

Annabeth swept her torch beam over the identical archways.

“This way.” She said.

“How do you know?” Percy asked.

“Deductive reasoning.”

“So…you’re guessing.”

“We’ve got to go  _ somewhere _ .” The Doctor said, shrugging, following as Annabeth began to walk through the archway.

The tunnel narrowed quickly, the walls turning to gray cement. The ceiling lowered that soon the group was hunched over and Tyson was forced on his hands and knees.

Grover was hyperventilating. “I can’t stand it anymore,” he whispered. “Are we there yet?”

“We’ve been down here maybe five minutes.” Annabeth said.

“Six minutes and thirty-four seconds.” The Doctor corrected. Annabeth glared at him.

“Not helping.”

“Sorry.”

They kept shuffling forth, and finally, just before the tunnel constricted them, it opened up into a massive room.

“Woah.” Percy breathed.

“Brilliant.” The Doctor grinned.

The entire room was covered in mosaic tiles. The pictures were grimy and faded, but the Doctor could still make out the faded blues, greens, reds, and golds. The frieze showed the Olympian gods at a feast. Poseidon was holding grapes for Dionysus to turn to wine. Zeus was partying with the satyrs, and Hermes was flying through the air on his winged sandals. The pictures were beautiful and delicately created. Yet, there were small inaccuracies, like Hermes’s nose and Zeus’s chin. Something about them were just slightly off.

In the middle of the room was a three-tiered fountain that looked as though it hadn’t held water in a long time.

“What is this place?” Percy muttered. “It looks –”

“Roman.” The Doctor said, “these are Roman.”

“And these mosaics,” Annabeth said, “they’re about two thousand years old.”

“But how can they be Roman?” Percy asked.

“The Labyrinth is a patchwork,” Annabeth explained. “I told you, it’s always expanding, adding pieces. It’s the only work of architecture that grows by itself.”

“Well, not the only –”

“On Earth.” Annabeth corrected, rolling her eyes. “The only one on Earth.”

The Doctor was satisfied by that.

“You make it sound like it’s alive.” Percy said.

There was a groaning noise that echoed from the tunnel ahead. 

“Let’s not talk about it being alive,” Grover whimpered. “Please?”

“Allons-y.” The Doctor said encouragingly.

The five heroes made their way forth.

“At least the architecture’s getting older,” Annabeth said as they made their way forwards. “Daedalus’s workshop would be in the oldest part.”

But soon the maze was toying with them. They went maybe fifteen meters before the tunnel turned back to cement, with brass pipes running down the sides. The walls were spray-painted with graffiti.

“I’m thinking this is not Roman.” Percy said helpfully.

Annabeth took a deep breath, then forged ahead, not dignifying Percy’s comment with a response.

Every couple meters, the tunnels twisted and turned and branched off. The floor beneath their feet changed from cement to mud to bricks and back again. There was no order, no reason.

They stumbled into a wine cellar – loads of dusty bottles in wooden racks – as though they were walking through someone’s basement. But there was no exit above, only more tunnels leading on.

It didn’t take long to find their first skeleton. He was dressed in white uniform with a wooden crate of glass bottles beside him.

“A milkman.” Annabeth identified.

“What?”

“They used to deliver milk.” Annabeth said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Yeah, I know what they are, but…that was when my mom was little, like a million years ago. What’s he doing here?”

“Some people wander in by mistake,” Annabeth said. “Some come exploring on purpose and never make it back. A long time ago, the Cretans even sent people in here as human sacrifices.”

Grover gulped. “He’s been down here a long time.” He pointed at the skeleton’s bones, which were coated in white dust. Its fingers were clawing at the brick wall, as though he’d died trying to get out. He probably had been.

“Only bones,” Tyson said. “Don’t worry, goat boy. The milkman is dead.”

“The milkman doesn’t bother me,” Grover said. “It’s the smell. Monsters. Can’t you smell it?”

Tyson nodded. “Lots of monsters. But underground smells like that. Monsters and dead milk people.”

“Oh, good,” Grover whimpered. “I thought maybe I was wrong.”

“We have to get deeper into the maze,” Annabeth said. “There has to be a way to the center.”

She led the group right, and then left, through a corridor of stainless steel, and they returned to the Roman mosaic room with the fountain. But this time, they were not alone.

The first thing the Doctor noticed were his faces. He had two of them, jutting out from either side of his head, staring over his shoulders. He was dressed in a long black overcoat, shined shoes, and a large black top-hat.

“Well, Annabeth?” His left face said. “Hurry up!”

“Don’t mind him,” the right face said. “He’s terribly rude. Right this way, miss.”

Annabeth’s jaw dropped. “Uh…I don’t…”

Tyson frowned. “The funny man has ears, you know!” The left face scolded. “Now come along, miss.”

“No, no,” the right face said. “This way, miss. Talk to  _ me,  _ please.”

The two-faced man regarded Annabeth as best as he could out of the corners of his eyes.

Behind him were two exits, blocked by wooden doors with massive iron locks. They hadn’t been there the first time the group had gone through the room. The two-faced doorman held a silver key, which he kept passing from his left hand to his right hand. Behind them, the door they’d come through was gone, replaced by more mosaics.

“The exits are closed.” Annabeth said.

“Duh!” the left face said.

“Where do they lead?” She asked.

“One leads the way you wish to go,” the right face said encouragingly. “The other leads to certain death.”

“Janus.” It suddenly dawned on the Doctor. “You’re Janus.”

“Janus?” Percy asked.

“Yes, Janus, god of doorways. Of beginnings. Of endings. Of choices.” Janus grinned. “We know you Annabeth, we know what you wrestle with every day. We know your indecision. You will have to make your choice sooner or later. And the choice may kill you and all your friends.”

“Leave her alone.” The Doctor growled.

“I’ll see you soon enough – ooh. Fascinating. I don’t see a name for you…”

“Nope.”

“So who may you be, child of time? I see that much, but nothing more…”

“I’m the Doctor,” The Time Lord said threateningly, “I’m the Oncoming Storm, the Destroyer of Worlds. So let us pass through the right door, or you’ll figure out just why I’m called those things.”

Fear flickered through Janus despite himself. “Then perhaps you should choose.” He smiled, pushing the Doctor in front of Annabeth. “Choose the fate of your dear friends.” The Doctor looked from door to door. Completely identical. There was no way to tell which would lead where. He put a hand to the door on the left, but before he could turn the handle, a brilliant light flooded the room.

Janus raised his hands to either side of his head to cover his eyes. When the light died down, a woman was standing at the fountain.

She was tall and graceful with long hair the colour of chocolate, braided in plaits with golden ribbons. She wore a simple white dress, but when she moved, the fabric shimmered with colours like oil on water.

“Janus,” she said. “Are we causing trouble again?”

“N-no, m’lady!” Janus’s right face stammered.

“Yes!” the left face said.

“Shut up!” The right face said.

“Excuse me?” The woman asked.

“Not you, m’lady! I was talking to myself.”

“I see,” the woman said. “You know very well your visit is premature. So I give  _ you _ a choice: leave these heroes to me, or I shall turn  _ you  _ into a door and break you down.”

“What kind of door?” The left face asked.

“Shut up!” the right face said.

“Because French doors are nice,” the left face mused. “Lots of natural light.”

“Shut up!” the right face wailed. “Not you, m’lady! Of course I’ll leave. I was just having a bit of fun. Doing my job. Offering choices.”

“Causing indecision,” The woman corrected. “Now be gone!”

The left face muttered, “Party pooper,” then he raised his silver key, inserted it into the air, and disappeared.

The woman turned towards the party of heroes. Her eyes shined with power, but she gave a smile, it was kind, caring.

“You must be hungry,” she said. “Sit with me and talk.”

She waved her hand and the old Roman fountain began to flow. Jets of clear water sprayed into the air. A marble table appeared, laden with platters of sandwiches and pitchers of lemonade.

“Who are you?” Percy asked, but the Doctor smiled.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Hera.”

The goddess served the children sandwiches and poured them lemonade. “Grover, dear,” she said, “use your napkin. Don’t eat it.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Grover said.

“Tyson, you’re wasting away. Would you like another peanut butter sandwich?”

Tyson stifled a belch. “Yes, nice lady.”

“Queen Hera,” Annabeth said. “I can’t believe it. What are you doing in the Labyrinth?”

Hera smiled, flicking a finger and Annabeth’s hair combed itself, all the dirt and grime disappearing from her face.

“I came to see you, naturally.”

Yeah, that wasn’t a good sign. She wanted something.

“I didn’t think –” Annabeth faltered. “Well, I didn’t think you liked heroes.”

Hera smiled indulgently. “Because of that little spat I had with Heracles? Honestly, I got so much bad press because of one disagreement.”

“Didn’t you try to kill him, like, a lot of times?” Annabeth asked.

Hera waved her hand dismissively. “Water under the bridge, my dear. Besides, he was one of my loving husband’s children by  _ another  _ woman. My patience wore thin, I’ll admit it. But Zeus and I have had some excellent marriage counseling sessions since then. We’ve aired our feelings and come to an understanding – especially after the last little incident.”

“You mean when he sired Thalia?” Percy guessed. 

The moment Percy had said Thalia’s name, Hera’s eyes turned towards the boy frostily.

“Percy Jackson, isn’t it? One of Poseidon’s…children.” It was very clear she had wanted to use another word. “As I recall, I voted to let you live at the winter solstice. I hope I voted correctly.”

She turned back to Annabeth with a sunny smile. “At any rate, I can bear you no ill will, my girl. I appreciate the difficulty of your quest. Especially when you have troublemakers like Janus to deal with.”

Annabeth lowered her gaze. “Why was he here? He was trying to drive us crazy?”

“Trying to, yes.” Hera nodded. “You must understand, the minor gods like Janus have always been frustrated by the small parts they play in the universe. Some, I fear, have little love for Olympus, and could easily be swayed to support the rise of my father.”

“Your father?” Percy said. “Oh. Right.”

“We must watch the minor gods,” Hera said. “Janus, Hecate, Morpheus. They give lip service to Olympus, and yet –”

“That’s where Dionysus went,” Percy remembered. “He was checkon on the minor gods.”

“Indeed.” Hera stared at the fading mosaics on the walls. “You see, in times of trouble, even gods can lose faith. They begin putting their trust in the wrong things, petty things. They stop looking at the big picture and start being selfish. But I’m the goddess of marriage, you see. I’m used to perseverance. You have to rise above the squabbling and chaos, and keep believing. You have to always keep your goals in mind.

“What are your goals?” Annabeth asked.

The goddess smiled. “To keep my family, the Olympians, together, of course. At the moment, the best way I can do that is by helping you. Zeus does not allow me to interfere much, I am afraid. But once every century or so, for a quest I care deeply about, he allows me to grant a wish.”

“A wish?”

“Before you ask it, let me give you some advice, which I can do for free. I know you seek Daedalus. His Labyrinth is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. But if you want to know his fate, I would visit my son Hephaestus at his forge. Daedalus was a great inventor, a mortal after Hephaestus’s heart. There has ever been a mortal Hephaestus admired more. If anyone would have kept up with Daedalus and could tell you his fate, it is Hephaestus.”

“But how do we get there?” Annabeth asked. “That’s my wish. I want a way to navigate the Labyrinth.”

“Annabeth, wait –” The Doctor said, but it was much too late.

“So be it.” Hera looked disappointed. “You wish for something, however, that you have already been given.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The means is already within your grasp.” She looked directly at the Doctor. “The Doctor already knows the answer.”

“You do?” Annabeth looked at the Doctor accusingly.

“I don’t know,” The Doctor said, running a hand through his hair. 

“But that’s not fair,” Annabeth said. “You’re not telling us what it is!  
Hera shook her head. “Getting something and having the wits to use it…those are two different things. I’m sure your mother Athena would agree.”

The room rumbled like distant thunder. Hera stood. “That would be my cue. Zeus grows impatient. Think on what I have said, Annabeth. Seek out Hephaestus. You will have to pass through the ranch, I imagine. But keep going. And use all the means at your disposal, however common they may seem.”

She pointed towards the two doors and they melted away, revealing twin corridors, open and dark. “One last thing, Annabeth. I have postponed your day of choice. I have not prevented it. Soon, as Janus said, you  _ will  _ have to make a decision. Farewell!”

She waved a hand and turned into white smoke. So did the food, just as Tyson chomped down on another sandwich that turned to mist in his mouth. The fountain trickled to a stop. The mosaic walls dimmed and turned grungy and faded again.

Annabeth stamped her foot in frustration. “What sort of help was that? ‘Here, have a sandwich. Make a wish. Oops, I can’t help you!’ Poof!”

“Poof.” Tyson agreed sadly, looking down at his empty plate.

“Well,” Grover sighed, “she said the Doctor knows the answer. That’s something.”

“It’s not.” The Doctor admitted. “I’ve got hundreds of years worth of information in my head, any of which could be applied to this.”

“I thought the gods didn’t know you’re from space.” Grover pointed out.

“They don’t – at least, Hera shouldn’t.”

“So, that narrows it down to the past couple years.”

“Yeah…” The Doctor muttered, running his hands over his tired face. “Yeah…that’s brilliant,  _ you’re  _ brilliant, Grover, you really are, but…I dunno.”

Annabeth sighed in disappointment. “All right. Then we’ll just keep going.”

“Which way?” Percy asked.

But then Grover and Tyson both tensed, standing up in unison. “Left.” They both said.

Annabeth frowned. “How can you be sure?”

“Because something is coming from the right,” Grover said.

“Something big,” Tyson agreed. “In a hurry.”

“Left is sounding pretty good.” Percy nodded.

Together, the five heroes plunged into the dark corridor.


	7. A Close Call

The good news was that the left tunnel was straight with no side exits, no twists, and no turns. The bad news was that it was also a dead end. After sprinting maybe thirty meters, they ran into a massive boulder that completely blocked the path. Behind them, the heroes could hear the sound of a monster, dragging footsteps and heavy breathing.

“Tyson,” Percy said, “can you –”

“Yes!” The Cyclops slammed his shoulder against the rock so hard that the entire tunnel shook. Dust trickled down from the stone ceiling.

“Hurry!” Grover said. “Don’t bring the roof down, but hurry!”

The boulder finally gave way with a horrible grinding, and Tyson pushed it into a small room which they all dashed inside.

“Close the entrance!” Annabeth said.

Tyson did so, and the boulder blocked whatever had been chasing the group. It wailed in frustration at the escape of its prey.

“We trapped it.” Percy breathed.

“Or trapped ourselves.” Grover pointed out.

The Doctor turned, looking at the cement room that they were in. It was small, and the opposite wall was covered in metal bars. They’d tunneled directly into a prison cell.

“Alcatraz!” The Doctor grinned, spinning around with his hands out.

“You mean the island near San Francisco?” Percy asked.

“Yeah,” Annabeth agreed, “My school took a field trip here, it’s like a museum now, right?”

“It is?” The Doctor looked at Annabeth, “Does it have a little shop?”

“What? How could you recognize it, then?” Annabeth asked.

“Who d’you think was in the crew that broke out?”

_ “What?” _

“Listen,” Tyson whispered, pointing.

The Doctor looked to where Tyson was pointing. On the second floor balcony, across the coartyard, was a monster. She was somewhat like a centaur, with a woman’s body from the waist up, but instead of a horse’s lower body, she had the body of a dragon – at least six meters long, black and scaly with enormous claws and a barbed tail. Her legs looked as though they were tangled in hundreds of vipers that darted around, constantly looking for something to bite. The woman’s hair was made of snakes as well, and all around her waist, her skin blubbled and morphed, occasionally producing the heads of animals – a wolf, a bear, a lion. 

“It’s her,” Tyson whimpered.

“Get down!” Grover said.

The five heroes crouched in the shadows, but they needent worry, for the woman was not paying any attention to anything other than the person with the cell. That’s where the sobbing was coming from.

_ “You will work for the master or suffer.”  _ The woman said.

“What’s she saying?” Percy muttered. “What’s that language.”

“The tongue of the old times.” Tyson shivered. “What Mother Earth spoke to Titans and…her other children. Before the gods.”

“You understand it?” Percy asked. “Can you translate?”

Tyson began to translate, and the Doctor continued to listen.

_ “I will not serve,”  _ A man’s voice said. He sounded wounded and tired.

_ “Then I shall enjoy your pain, Briares.”  _ The woman said,  _ “If you thought your first imprisonment was unbearable, you have yet to feel true torment. Think on this until I return.” _

The woman tromped towards the stairwell, vipers hissing around her legs. She spread her massive bat wings and lept off the catwalk and soard across the courtyard. 

The Doctor, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson crouched lower in the shadows. A hot sulferous wind blasted their faces as the monster flew over. She then disappeared around the corner.

“H-h-horrible,” Grover said. “I’ve never smelled any monster that strong.”

“Cyclopes’ worst nightmare,” Tyson murmured. “Kampê.”

“Who?” Percy asked.

“She was the jailer of Tartarus,” The Doctor answered for Tyson, “When the Titans ruled, they imprisoned Gaia and Ouranos’s earlier children – the Cyclopes and the Hekatonkheires.”

“The Heka-what?” Percy asked.

“Hekatonkheires,” The Doctor said, “The Hundred-Handed Ones.”

“Oh.”

“They were the elder brothers of the Cyclopes.” Annabeth nodded.

“Very powerful,” Tyson said. “Wonderful! As tall as the sky. So strong they could break mountains!”

“Cool,” Percy said. “Unless you’re a mountain.”

“Kampê, well, she worked for Kronos. One he realized he could use those who were imprisoned, Zeus killed her, freeing the Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires so that they could fight against the Titans.”

“And now Kampê is back.” Percy said.

“Bad.” Tyson summed up.

“So who’s in that cell?” Percy asked. “Tyson, you said a name –”

“Briares,” The Doctor said, “He’s a Hekatonkheir.”

“Do you speak  _ every  _ language?” Percy asked.

“Yes – well, no, not every language, but for the ones I don’t, the TARDIS translates for me.”

“Brother!” Tyson smiled, “We must find him!”

“Before Kampê comes back.” Percy agreed.

As the group approached the cell, the weeping got louder. And then they saw him. Briares, as his species title suggested, had one hundred human arms that protruded from his torso. He was human sized, or there about, and his face was ashen. His feet were unlike those of a human, long and too big for his legs with eight toes on each foot. 

“Either the sky isn’t as tall as it used to be,” Percy muttered, “Or he’s short.”

Tyson didn’t care, falling to his knees.

“Briares!” He called.

The sobbing stopped. 

“Great Hundred-Handed One!” Tyson said. “Help us!”

Briares looked up, his face long and sad with a crooked nose. He had deep brown eyes with no whites nor pupils. 

“Run while you can, Cyclops,” Briares said miserably. “I cannot even help myself.”

“You are a Hundred-Handed One!” Tyson insisted. “You can do anything!”

Briares wiped his nose with five or six hands. Sever others were fidgiting with small pieces of metal and wood from a broken bed. 

“I cannot,” Briares moaned. “Kampê is back! The Titans will rise and throw us back into Tartarus.”

“Put on your brave face!” Tyson said.

Immediatley, Briares’s face morphed into another with the same brown eyes, but completly different features. Now he wore an upturned nose, arched eyebrows, and a strange smile. But then his face morphed back into his intial form.

“No good,” he said. “My scared face keeps coming back.”

“How did you do that?” Percy asked.

“Don’t be rude.” Annabeth elbowed him. “The Hundred-Handed Ones have fifty different faces.”

“It will be okay, Briares!” Tyson said, still entranced. “We will help you! Can I have your autograph?”

Briares sniffled. “Do you have one hundred pens?”

“Guys,” Grover inturrupted. “We have to get out of here. Kampê will be back. She’ll sense us sooner or later.”

“Break the bars,” Annabeth said.

“Yes!” Tyson said, smiling proudly. “Briares can do it. He is very strong. Stronger than Cyclopes, even! Watch!”

Briares whimpered. A dozen of his hands started playing rock-paper-scissors, but none of them made any attempt to break the bars.

“If he’s so strong,” Percy said, “Why is he stuck in jail?”

Annabeth ribbed him again. “He’s terrified,” she whispered. “Kampê imprisoned him in Tartarus for thousands of years. How would you feel?”

“Right, let’s go.” The Doctor pulled out the sonic, and the door clicked open. He held out his hand. For a moment, Briares’s face morphed to one of hope. Several arms reached out, but twice as many slapped them away.

“I cannot,” he said. “She will punish me.”

“It’s all right,” Annabeth promised. “You fought the Titans before, and you won, remember?”

“Oi.” The Doctor growled, glaring at Annabeth, “Just because he fought them once does not mean he wants to do it again.”

Annabeth shrunk down and fell silent.

“I remember the war.” Briares said, his face morphing into a furrowed brow and pouting mouth – his brooding face. “Lightning shook the world. We threw many rocks. The Titans and the monsters almost won. Now they are getting strong again. Kampê said so.”

“That’s what we’re here for,” The Doctor promised, “We’re trying to stop them. And I can keep you safe. I promise. I won’t let Kampê get to you.”

“You are but a child.” Briares scoffed.

“Rock-paper-scissors.” Percy suddenly blurt out.

“What?”

“One game of rock-paper-scissors. If I win, you come with us. If I lose, we’ll leave you in jail.”

Annabeth looked at Percy as though he was mad.

Briares’s face morphed to doubtful. “I always win rock-paper-scissors.”

“Then let’s do it!” Percy pounded his fist into his palm three times.

Briares did the same with all one hundred of his own hands. He came up with thirty three rocks, thirty three scissors, and thirty four papers. 

“I told you,” he said sadly. “I always –” His face morphed to confusion. “What is that you made?”

“A gun,” Percy informed the Hekatonkheir, revealing his finger gun. “A gun beats anything.”

“That’s not fair.”

“I didn’t say anything about fair.” Percy said nonchilantly, “Kampê is not going to be fair if we hang around. She’s going to blame you for unlocking the doors of your cell. Now come on!”

Briares sniffled. “Demigods are cheaters.” But slowly, he rose to his feet and followed the group out of the cell.

On the ground floor directly below, Kampê was snarling.

“The other way.” Annabeth was leading.

They bolted down the catwalk. This time, Briares was happy to follow. In fact, he sprinted out front, a hundred arms waving in panic.

Behind them, the Doctor could hear the sound of massive wings as Kampê took to the air. She hissed and growled, crying out about how she was going to kill Briares. 

The group scarmbled down the stairs, through a corridor, and past a guard’s station – out into another block of prison cells.

“Left,” the Doctor instructed. Nobody questioned it.

They burst outside, finding themselves in the prison yard, ringed by security towers and barbed wire. Tourists were milling around, taking pictures. In the north, the Doctor could see Mount Tam, surrounded with massive brewing clouds.

“It’s even worse,” Annabeth said, gazing at the mountain, “The storms have been bad all year, but that –”

“Keep moving,” Briares wailed. “She is behind us!”

They ran to the far end of the yard, as far from the cellbock as possible.

“Kampê’s too big to get through the doors,” Percy said hopefully.

Then the wall exploded.

Tourists screamed as Kampê appeared from the dust and rubble, her wings spread out as wide as the yard. She was holding two swords: long bronze scimitars that glowed with a strange greenish aura, boiling wisps of vapor that smelled sour and hot even across the yard.

“Poison!” Grover yelped. “Don’t let those things touch you or…”

“Or we’ll die?” Percy guessed.

“Well…after you shrivel slowly to dust, yes.”

“Let’s avoid the swords,” Percy decided.

“Briares, fight!” Tyson urged. “Grow to full size!”

“Oi, if he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t have to.” The Doctor bit back.

Kampê thundered towards them on her tragon legs, hundreds of snakes sliterhing around their body.

“Run!” The Doctor said.

The six of them sprinted back towards the maze.

“We need a diversion,” Annabeth said.

“Oi! Kampê!” The Doctor shouted, sprinting towards her.

“For Hades’s sake…” Annabeth cried out.

The Doctor easily got her attention. She shreiked, slashing her swords at him, poison dripping all around her and sizzling into the cement.

The Doctor dove back as Kampê’s hair lashed and hissed, the vipers around her legs darting their tongues in every direction. A lion popped out of the half-formed faces around her waist and roared. 

The Doctor drew her as far away from the others as he could, diving and rolling, avoiding civilians and jumping between food stands.

The moment Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Tyson, and Briares made it to the door of the cellblock, the Doctor made a B-line towards them, not wanting to lose them in the Labyrinth. 

The Doctor sprinted into the cell, Kampê directly on his tail. The entrance to the maze was grinding open, Percy was shoving Briares into the Labyrinth.

“Come on!”

“Oh! Thanks for that!” The Doctor shouted back, “I was just gonna lay down and take a nap!”

The Doctor dove in, Percy directly behind.

Kampê charged, but she was too late. The stone door closed and its magic sealed them in. The Doctor could feel the entire tunnel shake and tremble as Kampê pounded against the entrance, roaring furiously.

The heroes raced into the darkness.


	8. Triple G Ranch

The six heroes finally stopped running, finding themselves in a room full of waterfalls. The floor was one big pit, ringed by a slippery stone walkway. Around them, on all four walls, water tumbled from massive pipes. The water spilled down into the pit, and even when the Doctor shined his torch down, he couldn’t see the bottom. 

Briares slumped against the wall, scooping up water in a dozen hands and washed his face.

“This pit goes straight to Tartarus,” he murmured. “I should jump in and save you trouble.”

“Please, we can help you,” The Doctor promised, “We can keep you safe –”

“Yeah, don’t talk that way.” Annabeth nodded. “You can come back to camp with us. You can help us prepare. You know more about fighting Titans than anybody.”

“Will you stop?” The Doctor growled at Annabeth. She looked up in confusion.

“But…But he can help us…”

“Annabeth, he’s done his part. It’s now our job to keep him safe.”

“What of your brothers?” Tyson piped up. “The other two must still stand tall as mountains!”

Briares’s expression morphed to something even sadder: his grieving face. “They are no more. They faded.”

The waterfalls hundred. The Doctor closed his eyes. 

“You’re the last of your kind.”

“Yes.”

“I’m so sorry.” The Doctor breathed. “I know…I know how that…”

“Oh, child. As kind as you are, you know nothing of this.” Briares said.

The Doctor laughed, but there was no humor in it.

“What exactly do you mean,  _ they faded?”  _ Percy asked awkwardly. “I thought monsters were immortal, like gods.”

“Percy,” Grover said weakly, “even immortality has limits. Sometimes…sometimes monsters get forgotten and they lose their will to stay immortal.”

“I must go,” Briares said.

“No, I know what you…you can’t give up on yourself. The moment you do is the moment you stop winning. I can keep you safe –”

“You keep saying that, but I do not see how a group of children could possibly protect me.”

“Oh, he’s an alien for Hades’s sake.” Annabeth cried out. “He’s thousands of years old from outer space and he’s the last of his kind!”

“Annabeth.” The Doctor snapped.

“No, I know why you keep insisting that he doesn’t have to fight, Doctor. It’s because he’s Just. Like. You.”

The Doctor froze. “I –”

“You…you are?” Briares looked up, his hopeful face now on.

“Yes.” The Doctor admitted. “And I know how it feels. And I know the things you’re thinking. And I know you want to stop the pain, but there’s no way to do that. You can’t make it stop. No matter how hard you try, you will always feel it.” He took a deep breath, “But you can make it hurt less…you can find ways of…ways to cope.”

“What were yours?” Briares asked innocently. 

“I – I help people. Try to make my life worth it. Try to repent for what I’ve done.”

Briares looked deep into the Doctor. “You’ve fought too, I can see it…”  
“Yes, I did.”

“And helping…Helping can make things better?”

“It does for me, but –”

“Then I will try.”

They settled in a corridor made of marble blocks for the evening. It looked to be an older part of the Labyrinth, which Annabeth decided was a good sign.

“We must be close to Daedalus’s workshop,” she said. “Get some rest, everybody. We’ll keep going in the morning.”

“How do we know when it’s morning?” Grover asked.

“I’ll wake you up in six hours if you’re not up yet.” The Doctor promised. There wasn’t really a day-or-night dynamic in the maze itself, but they could approximate.

Grover nodded and pulled a heap of straw from his rucksack. He ate some of it and made a pillow from the rest. He was snoring in no time.

Tyson seemed to take a little longer to get to sleep, assembling and disassembling metal, but he finally dozed off, the pieces he’d been working on sliding from his fingers.

Percy tossed and turned for a bit, then sat himself beside Annabeth. 

“You should sleep.” He told her.

“Can’t. You doing all right?”

“Sure. First day leading the quest. Just great.”

“We’ll get there,” Percy promised. “We’ll find the workshop before Luke does.”

“I just wish the quest was  _ logical. _ ” She mumbled. “I mean, we’re traveling but we have no idea where we’ll end up. How can you walk from New York to California in a day?”

“Space isn’t the same in the maze.”

“I know, I know. It’s just…” She looked at Percy hesitantly. “Percy, I was kidding myself. All that planning and reading, I don’t have a clue where we’re going.”

“You’re doing great. Besides, we  _ never  _ knew what we’re doing. It always works out.”

She smiled. “Yeah, maybe it will.” She put her head on his shoulder. Percy wrapped his arm around her and they soon dozed off like that.

The Doctor sat beside Briares in silence for a long while.

“What happened? To your people, I mean…”

“There was a war –”

“Like the Titan war?”

“Bigger.”

“Impossible.”

“It stretched across galaxies,” The Doctor said, “Across space and time.”

“And you fought?”

“On the front lines.”

“And you won?”

“No.” The Doctor breathed. “No, we lost – everyone did. My people, the Daleks, everyone…”

“Oh.”

“They’re all gone now. My family. My friends. My planet.”

“I’m sorry.” Briares said. “I understand…”

“As do I,” The Doctor said. “That for you, not all is lost. You may not have your people, but your planet still lives and breathes.”

Briares hummed in agreement.

“You should get some sleep.” The Doctor told him. “I’ll keep watch.”

“I can’t sleep after all this.”

“Then close your eyes, relax.”

“I – I don’t want to.”

The Doctor looked sadly at him. He knew exactly how that felt.

“Do you want me…Do you want me to help you sleep?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m a touch-telepath.” The Doctor explained. “I can go in and send you into a dreamless sleep.”

“Y-yes. I’d like that. If you don’t mind…”

“Not at all.” The Doctor smiled sadly, placing his fingers to Briares’s temples. 

He was out in seconds.

The Doctor shifted him into a more comfortable position and kept lookout.

It didn’t take long for Percy to begin to tremble in his sleep, muttering and whispering.

The Doctor plunged into his dreams.

They were back in the old man’s Labyrinth prison, but it looked more like a workshop now. Tables were littered with measuring instruments. A forge burned red hot in the corner. The boy was stoking the bellows, but he was taller now. Older. This dream wasn’t happening currently. It was from the past.

It was daytime; the sky was blue, but the walls of the maze cast deep shadows across the workshop. The elder man looked sickly, terribly thin, hands raw from working, white hair covering his eyes, and tunic smudged with grease. He was bent over a table, working on a long swath of chain mail. He picked up a delicate curl of bronze and fitted it into place.

“Done,” he announced. “It’s done.”

He picked up his project. It was beautiful: metal wings constructed from thousands of interlocking bronze feathers. There were two sets. One still lay on the table. The elder man stretched the frame, and the wings expanded to two or three times the man’s wingspan. It looked much too heavy to fly, but the Doctor was not one to doubt.

The boy left the bellows and ran over to see. He grinned. “Father, you’re a genius!”

The man smiled. “Tell me something I don’t know, Icarus. Now hurry. It will take at least an hour to attach them. Come.”

“You first,” Icarus insisted.

The man protested, but Icarus insisted. “You made them, Father. You should get the honour of wearing them first.”

The boy attached a leather harness to his father’s chest. He began fastening on the wings using a large metal canister that was presumably full of a sort of sealant.

“The wax compound should hold for several hours,” the man said nervously as his son worked. “But we must let it set first. And we would do well to avoid flying too high or too low. The sea would wet the wax seals –”

“And the sun’s head would loosen them,” the boy finished. “Yes, Father. We’ve been through this a million times!”

“One cannot be too careful.”

“I have complete faith in your inventions, Father! No one has ever been as smart as you.”

The man’s eyes shone. It was clear that he loved his son more than anything in the universe. “Now I will do your wings, and give mine a chance to set properly. Come!”

It was slow going. The old man’s hands fumbled with the straps and he had difficulty maintaining the wings’ position whilst he sealed them. His own metal wings appeared to weigh him down tremendously, getting in his way whilst he tried to work.

“Too slow,” he muttered. “I am too slow.”

“Take your time, Father,” the boy said. “The guards aren’t due until –”

_ BOOM! _

The workshop doors shuddered. The man had barred them from the outside with a wooden brace, but still they shook on their hinges.

“Hurry!” Icarus said.

_ BOOM! BOOM! _

Something heavy was slamming into the doors. The brace held, but a crack appeared in the left door.

The man worked furiously. A drop of hot wax spilled onto Icarus’s shoulder. The boy winced, but did not cry out. When his left wing was sealed to the straps, the man began working on the right.

“We must have more time,” the man murmured. “They are too early! We need more time for the seal to hold.”

“It’ll be fine,” Icarus said, as his father finished the right wing. “Help me with the manhole –”

_ CRASH! _ The doors splintered and the head of a bronze battering ram emerged through the breach. Axes cleared the debris, and two armed guards entered the room, followed by the king with the golden crown and spear-shaped beard. 

“Well, well,” the king said with a cruel smile. “Going somewhere?”

The man and his son froze, their metal wings glimmering on their backs.

“We’re leaving, Minos.” The old man said.

King Minos chuckled. “I was curious to see how far you’d get on this little project before I dashed your hopes. I must say, I’m impressed.”

The king admired their wings. “You look like metal chickens,” he decided. “Perhaps we should pluck you and make soup.”

The guards laughed dumbly.

“Metal chickens,” one repeated. “Soup.”

“Shut up!” The king said, turning back to his prisoners. “You let my daughter escape, old man. You drove my wife to madness. You killed my monster. You made me the laughingstock of the Mediterranean. You will never escape me!”

Icarus grabbed the wax gun and sprayed it at the king, who stepped back in surprise. The guards came rushing forth, but each got a steam of hot wax to the face.

“The vent!” Icarus yelled to his father.

“Get them!” King Minos ordered.

Together, the man and his son pried open the manhole cover, and a column of hot air blasted from the ground. The king watched, incredulous, as the inventor and son shot into the sky on their bronze wings, carried by the updraft.

“Shoot them!” the king yelled, but his guards had brought no bows. One threw his sword in desperation, but the two prisoners were already much too far from reach. They wheeled above the maze and the king’s palace, then zoomed across the city of Knossos and out past the rocky shores of Crete.

Icarus laughed. “Free, Father! You did it.”

The boy spread his wings to their full limit and soared away on the wind.

“Wait! The man called. “Be careful!”

But Icarus was already out over the open sea, heading north and delighting in their good fortune. He soared up and scared an eagle from its flight path, then plummeted towards the sea, pulling out of a nose-dive at the last moment, his sandals skimming the waves.

“Stop that!” The man called, but the wind carried his voice away. His son was intoxicated by freedom.

The man struggled to catch up, gliding clumsily after his son.

They were miles from Crete, over deep sea, when Icarus looked back and saw his father’s worried expression.

Icarus smiled. “Don’t worry, Father! You’re a genius! I trust your handiwork –”

The first metal feather shook loose from his wings and fluttered away. Then another. Icarus wobbled in midair.

Suddenly, the boy was shedding bronze feathers, which twirled away from him.

“Icarus!” his father cried. “Glide! Extend the wings. Stay as still as possible!”

But Icarus flapped his arms, desperately trying to reassert control.

The left wing went first, ripping away from the straps.

“Father!” The boy cried. And then he fell, the wings stripped away until he was just a boy in a harness and a white tunic, his arms extended in a useless attempt to glide.

The Doctor jumped to his feet and away from Percy. They were both awake now. 

The Doctor didn’t rest that night. He kept watch, but finally he decided to wake the others and they ate a breakfast of granola bars and juice boxes.

The old stone tunnels turned to dirt with cedar beams, and Annabeth began getting agitated.

“This isn’t right,” she said. “It should still be stone.”

They came to a cave where stalactites hung low from the ceiling. In the center of the dirt floor was a rectangular pit.

Grover shivered. “It smells like the Underworld in here.”

The Doctor looked at the pit. It was full of fizzy drink. “Nico.”

“He was summoning the dead again.” Percy agreed.

Tyson whimpered. “Ghosts were here. I don’t like ghosts.”

“We’ve got to find him.” Percy said. “He’s got to be close.”

Percy began to run.

“Percy!” The Doctor sprinted after him, followed by the others.

The Doctor, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson, caught up with Percy just as he ducked into a tunnel. There was a light up ahead, streaming through a set of bars above them. They were under a steel grate made of metal pipes.

“Where are we?” Percy wondered.

A shadow fell across the grate and a cow stared down at them. This cow was bright red. An unusual colour for cows on Earth. She mooed, placing one hoof tentatively on the bars, then backed away.

“It’s a cattle guard,” Grover said.

“A what?” Percy asked.

“They put them at the gates of ranches so cows can’t get out. They can’t walk on them.” Grover explained.

“How do you know that?” Percy asked.

“Believe me,” Grover huffed indignantly. “If  _ you  _ had hooves, you’d know about cattle guards. They’re annoying!”

Percy turned to Annabeth. “Didn’t Hera say something about a ranch? We need to check it out. Nico might be up there.”

“Hera told us to seek out Hephaestus.” The Doctor nodded. “Said we’d have to pass through a ranch.”

Annabeth hesitated. “All right. But how do we get out?”

The Doctor soniced the grate and it popped open.

They were on a ranch, all right. Rolling hills stretched to the horizon, dotted with oak trees, cacti, and boulders. A barbed wire fence ran from the gate in either direction. Cherry-coloured cows roamed the land, grazing on clumps of grass.

“Red cattle,” Annabeth said. “The cattle of the sun.”

“What?” Percy asked.

“They’re sacred to Apollo.” 

“Well, technically they’re Hermes’s,” the Doctor pointed out.

“What?”

“Oh, right, well, after he was born, Hermes stole them from Apollo. Apollo was obviously not happy about it, told Zeus, who ordered Hermes to give it back. But Hermes had killed two of the cows and from them created a lyre. Apollo was so impressed, that in exchange for the lyre, he gave Hermes his entire herd.”

“Dude, I forget how wild Hermes is.” Percy said.

“Wait,” Grover said suddenly. “Listen.”

The Doctor could hear it; the distant baying of dogs. It got louder and louder until two dogs broke through the underbrush. Except it wasn’t two dogs. It was one dog with two heads. He snapped at the group, snarling.

“Bad Janus dog!” Tyson cried.

The Doctor tried to greet him, but the dog bared his teeth. 

It was then that his master lumbered out from the wood. He was large with stark white hair, a straw cowboy hat, and a braided white beard. He was wearing jeans, a  _ DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS  _ T-shirt, and a denim jacket with the sleeves ripped off. On his right bicep was a tattoo of crossed-swords. He held a wooden club with six-inch spikes that bristled at the business end.

“Heel, Orthus.” He told the dog.

The dog growled once more, then circled back to his master’s feet. The man looked the group of heroes up and down, keeping his club ready.

“What’ve we got here?” He asked. “Cattle rustlers?”

“Just travelers,” Annabeth said. “We’re on a quest.”

The man’s eye twitched. “Half-bloods, eh?”

“How did you know –” Percy began, but Annabeth put a hand on his arm.

“I’m Annabeth, daughter of Athena. This is Percy, son of Poseidon. Grover the satyr, Tyson the Cyclops, and Doctor the – er – Doctor.”

“Hmm.” The man eyed the Doctor suspiciously. “I know half-bloods because I  _ am  _ one, son of Poseidon.” He said. “I’m Eurytion, the cowherd for this here ranch. Son of Ares. You came through the Labyrinth like the other one, I reckon.”

“The other one?” Percy asked. “You mean Nico di Angelo?”

“We get a loud of visitors from the Labyrinth,” Eurytion said darkly. “Not many ever leave.”

“Brilliant.” The Doctor grinned.

Eurytion glanced behind him as though someone was watching. He then lowered his voice. “I’m only going to stay this once, demigods. Get back in the maze now. Before it’s too late.”

“We’re not leaving.” Annabeth said firmly. “Not until we see this other demigod. Please.”

Eurytion grunted. “Then you leave me no choice, missy. I’ve got to take you to see the boss.”

Eurytion walked alongside the heroes with his club across his shoulder. Orthus growled a lot, sniffing at Grover’s legs, and shot into the bushes every so often to chase animals, but Eurytion kept him more or less under control.

They walked down a dirt path, the temperature rising. Flies began to swarm around them, and every once in a while they’d see a pen full of red cows or other strange animals. Once they passed a corral where the fence was coated in asbestos. Inside, a herd of fire-breathing steeds, milling about. The hay in their feeding trough was on fire. The ground smoked around their feet, but the horses seemed tame enough.

“What are  _ they  _ for?” Percy asked.

Eurytion scowled. “We raise animals for lots of clients. Apollo, Diomedes, and…others.”

“Like who?”

“No more questions.”

Finally, they emerged from the wood. Perched on a hill high above was a large ranch house made of white stone and wood.

“It looks like a Frank Lloyd Wright!” Annabeth said.

The Doctor hummed in agreement. 

“Don’t break the rules,” Eurytion warned as the group walked up the steps to the front porch. “No fighting. No drawing weapons. And don’t make any comments about the boss’s appearance.”

“Why?” Percy asked. “What does he look like?”

Before Eurytion could reply, a new voice said, “Welcome to Triple G Ranch.”

The man on the porch had a human head, his face weathered and brown from years in the sun. He had slick black hair and a black pencil moustache. He smiled, but it wasn’t friendly. It was the smile the Doctor had seen on a number of torturers.

He had three bodies. His neck connected to the middle chest, but he had two more chests, one on either side, connected at the shoulders, with a few inches in between. His left arm grew it off his left chest, and the same on the right. The chests all connected into one large torso, with two large legs.

Eurytion nudged the Doctor, “Say hello to Mr. Geryon.”

“Hello,” The Doctor greeted, “Lovely ranch you’ve got.”

It was then that Nico di Angelo came out of the glass doors onto the porch.

“Geryon, I won’t wait for –”

He froze when he saw the party. He drew his sword. 

Geryon snarled when he saw it. “Put that away, Mr. di Angelo. I ain’t gonna have my guests killin’ each other.”

“But that’s –”

“Percy Jackson,” Geryon supplied. “Annabeth Chase, and a few of their monster friends. Yes, I know.”

“Monster friends?” Grover said indignantly.

“That man is wearing three shirts,” Tyson said, staring at Geryon. 

“They let my sister die!” Nico’s voice trembled with rage. “They’re here to kill me!”

“Nico,” The Doctor said, his hands up to show that he was not holding anything, “Nico, we’re not here to hurt you.”

“I don’t believe you!”

“Nico, you know I don’t carry weapons…”

“That doesn’t mean you won’t kill me!”

“Mr. di Angelo, put that ugly sword away before I have Eurytion take it from you.”

Eurytion sighed, but hefted his spiked club. At his feet, Ortheus growled.

Nico hesitated. The Doctor observed how much thinner and paler he looked. He clearly hadn’t had much to eat since the Doctor had last seen him. His black clothes were dusty from traveling in the Labyrinth, and his dark eyes were full of hate. He was too young to look so angry. He was so young. 

Reluctantly, the boy sheathed his sword. “If you come near me, Doctor, I’ll summon help. You don’t want to meet my helper, I promise.”

“I believe you.” The Doctor said. 

Geryon patted Nico’s shoulder. “There, we’ve all made nice. Now come along, folks. I want to give you a tour of the ranch.”

Geryon had a trolly, it was painted black and white in a cowhide pattern. The driver’s car had a set of longhorns stuck to the hood, and the horn sounded like a cowbell. 

Nico sat in the very back, clearly unwilling to turn his back on anyone. Eurytion crawled in beside him with his spiked club and pulled his cowboy hat over his eyes. Ortheus jumped in the front seat beside Geryon and began barking happily in a two-part harmony. 

Annabeth, Percy, Tyson, Grover, and the Doctor took the middle three cars, the Doctor finding himself seated alone.

“We have a huge operation!” Geryon boasted as the trolly lurched forth. “Horses and cattle mostly, but all sorts of exotic varieties, too.” 

They made their way over the hill, and Annabeth gasped. “Hippalektryons? I thought they were extinct!”

At the bottom of the hill was a fenced-in pasture with a dozen creatures. Their front half was a horse and the back half was a rooster. Their rear feet were large yellow claws. They had feathery tails and red wings. As the group observed, they reared up on their back legs and whinnied and flapped their wings at each other until the smaller one galloped away, its rear bird legs putting a small hop in its step. 

“Rooster ponies,” Tyson said in amazement. “Do they lay eggs?”

“Once a year!” Geryon grinned in the rearview mirror. “Very much in demand for omelettes!” 

“That’s horrible!” Annabeth said. “They must be an endangered species!”

Geryon waved his hand. “Gold is gold, darling. And you haven’t tasted the omelettes.”

“That’s not right,” Grover murmured, but Geryon just continued to narrate the tour. The Doctor had a house call to make once all this was over. 

“Now, over here,” he said. “We have our fire-breathing horses, which you may have seen on your way in. They’re bred for war, naturally.”

“They look like a pokémon.” Percy murmured.

“What war?” Tyson asked. 

Geryon grinned slyly. “Oh, whichever one comes along. And over yonder, of course, are our prize red cows.”

Sure enough, hundreds of cherry-coloured cattle were grazing the side of a hill. 

“So many,” Grover said.

“Yes, well, Hermes is too busy to see to them,” Geryon explained. “So he subcontracts to us. We breed them vigorously because there’s such a demand.”

“Demand?” The Doctor inquired. “What for?”

Geryon raised an eyebrow. “Meat, of course! Armies have to eat.”

“You kill the sacred cows of the sun god for hamburger meat?” Grover said. “That’s against the ancient laws!”

“Oh, don’t get so worked up, satyr. They’re just animals.”

“Just animals?!”

“Yes, and if Hermes cared, I’m sure he would tell us.”

“If he knew.” Percy muttered.

Yeah, he would know. Once the Doctor was finished, there wouldn't be a single person who didn’t know.

Nico sat forwards. “I don’t care about any of this, Greyson. We had business to discuss, and this wasn’t it!”

“All in good time, Mr. di Angelo. Look over here; some of my exotic game.”

The next field was ringed with barbed wire. The entire area was crawling with massive scorpions. The same ones from the forest of Camp Half-Blood.

“Triple G Ranch.” Percy realized. “Your mark was on the crates at camp. Quintus got his scorpions from you.”

“Quintus…” Geryon mused. “Short gray hair, muscular, swordsman?”

“Yeah.”

“Never heard of him. Now, over here are my prize stables! You must see them.”

The Doctor could smell them far before he saw them. By the banks of a green river was a horse corral about the size of an American football field. Stables lined one side of it, whilst a hundred horses milled around in the muck. Like, propper muck. It looked incredibly unsanitary. Health and safety would be by soon.

“What  _ is  _ that?” Nico gagged.

“My stables!” Geryon said. “Well, actually they belong to Aegeas, but we watch over them for a small monthly fee. Aren’t they lovely.”

“They’re disgusting!” Annabeth said.

“Lots of poop.” Tyson agreed.

“How can you keep animals like that?” Grover cried.

“Y’all are gettin’ on my nerves,” Geryon said. “These are flesh-eating horses, see? They like these conditions.”

“Plus, you’re too cheap to have them cleaned,” Eurytion mumbled from beneath his hat.

“Quiet!” Geryon snapped. “All right, perhaps the stables are a bit challenging to clean. Perhaps they do make me nauseous when the wind blows the wrong way. But so what? My clients still pay us well.”

“What clients?” Percy demanded.

“Oh, you’d be surprised how many people will pay for a flesh-eating horse. They make great garbage disposals. Wonderful way to terrify your enemies. Great at birthday parties! We rent them out all the time.

“You’re a monster,” Annabeth decided.

Geryon stopped the trolly and turned to look at her. “What gave it away? Was it the three bodies?”

“You have to let these animals go,” Grover said. “It’s not right!”

“And the clients you keep talking about,” Annabeth said. “You work for Kronos, don’t you? You’re supplying his army with horses, food, whatever they need.”

Yes, this was why the Doctor liked Annabeth. Sharp as they come. 

Geryon shrugged his three shoulders. “I work for anyone with gold, young lady. I’m a businessman. And I sell them anything I have to offer.”

He climbed out of the trolly and strolled towards the stables as if he was enjoying the fresh air. 

Nico got out from the back car and stormed over to Geryon. Eurytion hefted his club and walked after the boy.

“I came here for business, Geryon,” Nico said. “And you haven’t answered me.”

“Mmmm.” Geryon examined a cactus. His left arm reached over and scratched his middle chest. “Yes, you’ll get a deal, all right.”

“My ghost told me you could help. He said you could guide us to the soul we needed.”

“Wait a second,” Percy said. “I thought the Doctor was the soul you wanted.”

Nico hesitated, “Yes, well, Bianca’s soul is worth a thousand of his. I’m going after a more worthy soul.”

The Doctor tipped his head slightly. Interesting. Nico knew his father would be more than satisfied with the Time Lord’s soul… But he didn’t want to? No that couldn’t be it…

“So Geryon, can you help me or not?” Nico demanded.

“Oh, I imagine I could,” the rancher said. “Your ghost friend, by the way, where is he?”

Nico looked uneasy. “He can’t form in broad daylight. It’s hard for him. But he’s around somewhere.”

Geryon smiled. “I’m sure. Minos likes to disappear when things get…difficult.”

_ “Minos?”  _ Percy remembered. “You mean that evil king?  _ That’s  _ the ghost who’s been giving you advice?”

“It’s none of your business, Percy!” Nico turned back to Geryon. “And what do you mean about things getting difficult?”

The three-bodied man sighed. “Well you see, Nico – can I call you Nico?”

“No.”

“You see, Nico, Luke Castellan is offering very good money for half-bloods. Especially powerful half-bloods. And I’m sure when he learns your little secret, who you really are, he’ll pay very, very well indeed.”

Nico drew his sword, but Eurytion knocked it from his hands. Orthrus pounced on Percy’s chest as he attempted to draw Riptide.

“I would stay in the car, all of you,” Geryon warned. “Or Orthus will tear Mr. Jackson’s throat out. Now, Eurytion, if you would be so kind, secure Nico.”

The cowherd spit in the grass. “Do I have to?”

“Yes, you fool!”

Eurytion looked bored, but he wrapped one arm around Nico and lifted him up.

“Pick up the sword, too.” Geryon said with distaste. “There’s nothing I hate worse than Stygian iron.”

Eurytion picked up the sword, careful not to touch the blade.

“Now,” Geryon said cheerfully, “we’ve had the tour. Let’s go back to the lodge, have some lunch, and send an Iris-message to our friends in the Titan army.”

“You fiend!” Annabeth cried.

Geryon smiled at her. “Don’t worry, my dear. Once I’ve delivered Mr. di Angelo, you and your party can go. I don’t interfere with quests. Besides, I’ve been paid well to give you safe passage, which does not, I’m afraid, include Mr. di Angelo.”

“Paid by whom?” Annabeth said. “What do you mean?”

“Never mind, darlin’. Let’s be off, shall we?”

“Geryon,” The Doctor said, before they could leave, “what if I could make a deal with you? You said you’re a businessman, right?”

Geryon narrowed his eyes. “What sort of deal? Do you have gold?”

The Doctor grinned. “I have something better.”


	9. Follow the Spiders

Geryon laughed. “What do you have that’s better than gold?”

The Doctor smiled, pulling out a small red metal device. “Worth billions, it’s an Etheric Beam Locator. Used to detect monsters, very valuable.”

Geryon grabbed it, inspecting it. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Course not. Wouldn’t be worth much if they weren’t rare, would they?”

Geryon seemed to consider it for a moment, and so Annabeth pitched in,

“Doctor, you  _ can’t  _ sell that. You’ve got to have something else. We  _ need  _ it.”

The Doctor hesitated, looking as though he was considering it. “Yeah, you’re right, I –”

“Deal!” Geryon said quickly, shoving Nico towards the Doctor. “Take him. Eurytion, escort them back to the Labyrinth.”

“We should be quick before they figure out that all an Etheric Beam Locator does is locate etheric beams.” The Doctor whispered as they hurried back to the maze.

Nico was still glaring at the Doctor. “You could come with us, you know. It’s safer in numbers.”

_ “Safe?”  _ Nico said. “What do you care if I’m safe? You got my sister killed!”

“Nico,” Annabeth said, “that wasn’t the Doctor’s fault. And Geryon wasn’t lying about Kronos wanting to capture you. If he knew who you were, he’d do anything to get you on his side.”

“I’m not on anyone’s side. And I’m not afraid!”

“Well I am.” The Doctor said softly. “I am afraid, and I am afraid for  _ you.  _ I don’t care how much you hate me, I want you to be safe.”

“And your sister wouldn’t want –” Annabeth began, but Nico cut her off.

“If you cared for my sister, you’d help me bring her back!”

“Nico, have you spoken to Bianca?” The Doctor asked. 

I’ve tried,” Nico said miserably. “She won’t answer.”

“Nico, how about we try again now.” The Doctor suggested. “Because I think if anyone deserves to get a say in this, it’s her.”

“Fine.” Nico said. “We’re gonna need a pit, like a grave. And food and drinks.”

The group, who had already been left by Eurytion, took a detour before returning to the maze, and the Doctor, Percy, Annabeth, Tyson, Grover, and Nico began to dig.

They didn’t finish digging until after dark. The moon was full and silver clouds drifted across the sky. 

“Minos should be here by now,” Nico said, frowning. “It’s full dark.” 

“Maybe he got lost,” Percy said hopefully.

Nico poured more of his rootbeer and granola bars from his rucksack, then began chanting in Ancient Greek. Immediately, the bugs in the woods stopped chirping. The Doctor could feel the Stygian ice dog whistle growing colder and colder in his pocket.

“Make him stop,” Tyson whispered.

The Doctor could see the sulphurous mist seem from the ground as the first spirits appeared. Shadows thickened into human forms. One blue shade drifted to the edge of the pit and knelt to drink.

“Stop him!” Nico said, momentarily breaking his chant. “Only Bianca may drink!”

Percy drew Riptide. The ghosts retreated with a collective hiss at the sight of the celestial bronze blade. But it was too late to stop the first spirit. He had already solidified into the shape of a bearded man in white robes. A circlet of gold wreathed his head, and even in death, his eyes were alive with malice.

“Minos!” Nico said. “What are you doing?”

“My apologies, master,” the ghost said, although he did not sound sorry in the least. “The sacrifice smelled so good, I couldn’t resist.” He examined his own hands and smiled. “It is good to see myself again. Almost in solid form –”

“You are disrupting the ritual!” Nico protested. “Get –”

The spirits of the dead began to shimmer dangerously bright. Nico was forced to take up the chant once more to keep them at bay.

“Yes, quite right, master.” Minos said with amusement. “You keep chanting. I’ve only come to protect you from these  _ liars  _ who would deceive you.”

“We’re looking for Bianca di Angelo,” Percy said. “Get lost.”

The ghost chuckled, turning to Percy. “Percy Jackson…The sons of Poseidon haven’t improved over the centuries, have they? I understand you once killed my Minotaur with your bare hands. But worse things await you in the maze. Do you really believe Daedalus will help you?”

The other spirits stirred in agitation. Annabeth drew her knife and helped Percy keep them away from the pit. 

“Daedalus cares nothing for you, half-bloods,” Minos warned. “You can’t trust him. He is old beyond counting, and crafty. He is bitter from the guilt of murder and is cursed by the gods.”

“The guilt of murder?” Percy asked, “Who did he kill?”

“Do not change the subject!” The ghost growled. “You are hindering Nico. You try to persuade him to give up his goal.  _ I  _ would make him a lord!”

“Enough, Minos.” Nico commanded.

The ghost sneered. “Master, these are your enemies. You must not listen to them! Let me protect you. I will turn their minds to madness, as I did the others.”

“Chris Rodriguez…” The Doctor realized. “That was  _ you _ .” 

“The maze is my property,” The ghost said, “Not Daedalus’s! Those who intrude deserve madness.”

“Be gone, MInos!” Nico demanded. “I want to see my sister!”

The ghost bit back his rage. “As you wish, master. But I warn you. You cannot trust these so-called heroes.”

Minos disappeared into mist. 

Other spirits rushed forth, but Annabeth and Percy kept them at bay. 

“Bianca, appear!” Nico intoned. He began to chant faster, the spirits shifted restlessly.

“Any time now,” Grover muttered.

A silvery light then flickered in the trees – a spirit brighter than the rest. It came closer, Annabeth and Percy let it pass. It knelt and drank at the pit. When it arose, it was the ghostly form of Bianca di Angelo.

Nico’s chanting faltered. Percy lowered his sword. The other spirits began to crowd forth, but Bianca raised her arms and they retreated to the woods.

“Hello, Doctor.” She greeted.

She looked in death just as she had in life: a green cap set sideways on her thick black hair, dark eyes and olive skin like her brother. She was wearing jeans and a silvery jacket, the outfit of a Hunter of Artemis. A bow was slung over her shoulder, and she smiled faintly, her form flickering.

“Bianca.” The Doctor breathed. “Bianca, I’m so sorry –”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Bianca promised, “I made my own choice. I don’t regret it.”

“Bianca!” Nico stumbled forth as though returning from a daze. The ghost turned to her brother, her expression sad. It looked as though she’d been dreading this very moment.

“Hello, Nico. You’ve gotten so tall.”

“Why didn’t you answer me sooner?” He cried. “I’ve been trying for months!”

“I was hoping you would give up.”

“Give up?” He sounded heartbroken. “How can you say that? I’m trying to save you!”

“You can’t, Nico. Don’t do this. The Doctor is right.”

“No! He let you die! He’s not your friend.”

Bianca stretched out a hand as if to touch her brother’s face, but since she was made of mist, her hand evaporated as it got close to living skin.

“You must listen to me,” she begged of her brother, “Holding grudges is dangerous for a child of Hades. It is our fatal flaw. You have to forgive. You have to promise me this.”

“I can’t. Never.”

“The Doctor has been worried about you, Nico. He can help. I let him see what you were up to, hoping he would find you.”

“So it  _ was  _ you,” Percy said. “You sent those Iris-messages.”

Bianca nodded.

“Why are you helping him and not me?” Nico screamed. “It’s not fair!”

“You are close to the truth now,” Bianca informed him. “It’s not the Doctor you’re mad at, Nico. It’s me.”

“No.”

“You’re mad because I left you to become a Hunter of Artemis. You’re mad because I died and left you alone. I’m sorry for that, Nico. I truly am. But you must overcome the anger. And stop blaming the Doctor for my choices. It will be the doom of you both.”

“She’s right,” Annabeth broke in. “Kronos is rising, Nico. He’ll twist anyone he can to his cause.”

“I don’t care about Kronos,” Nico said. “I just want my sister back.”

“You can’t have that, Nico.” Bianca told him gently.

“I’m the son of Hades! I  _ can. _ ”

“Don’t try,” she said. “If you love me, don’t…”

Her voice trailed off. Spirits began to gather once again, agitated. Their shadows shifted. Their voices whispered,  _ “Danger!” _

“Tartarus stirs,” Bianca said. “Your power draws the attention of Kronos. The dead must return to the Underworld. It is not safe for us to remain.”

“Wait,” Nico said. “Please –”

“Goodbye, Nico,” Bianca siad. “I love you. Remember what I said.”

Bianca’s form shivered and the ghost disappeared, leaving the six of them alone with the pit. 

No one was all that anxious to travel that night, and so they slept by the entrance to the Labyrinth, the Doctor keeping watch. 

That evening, when the Doctor dove into Percy’s dreams, he saw Luke. He was walking through the dark palace atop Mount Tam. It was a proper building now rather than the half-finished illusion the Doctor had once seen. Green fires blazed in braziers along the walls, the floor was polished black marble, and a cold wind blew down the corridors. Above, through the open ceiling, the sky swirled with grey ominous storm clouds.

Luke was dressed for battle with camoflauge pants, a white T-shirt, and a bronze breastplate, but his sword wasn’t at his side, only an empty scabbard. The Doctor and Percy followed Luke into a large courtyard where dozens of warriors and dracaenae were preparing for war. When they saw Luke, the demigods rose to attention, beating their swords against their shields.

“Issss it time, my lord?” a dracaenae asked.

“Soon,” Luke promised. “Continue your work.”

“My lord,” a voice said behind him. It was Kelli, the empousa, she was smiling at him. Her eyes were flickering, sometimes a deep brown and other times a vile red.

“You have a visitor,” she informed Luke, stepping aside, and even Luke seemed to be stunned by the sight.

The monster Kampê towered above, her snakes hissing around her legs, the animal heads growled at her waist. Her swords were drawn and shimmering like poison. With her wings extended, she took up the entire corridor. 

“You.” Luke’s voice sounded slightly shaky. “I told you to stay on Alcatraz.”

Kampê’s eyelids blinked sideways like that of a reptile's.

“I come to serve. Give me revenge.”

“You’re a jailor,” Luke said. “Your job –”

“I will have them dead. No one escapes me.”

Luke hesitated, a line of sweat trickling down the side of his face. “Very well,” he said. “You will go with us. You may carry Ariadne’s string. It is a position of great honour.”

Kampê hissed at the stars, sheathing her swords and turning. She pounded down the corridor.

“We should have left that one in Tartarus,” Luke mumbled. “She’s too chaotic. Too powerful.”

Kelli laughed softly. “You should not fear power, Luke. Use it!”

“The sooner we leave, the better,” Luke said. “I want this over with.”

“Aww,” Kelli sympathized, running a finger down his arm. “You find it unpleasant to destroy your old camp?”

Luke’s face turned stony. “I know my duty.”

“That is good,” the demon said. “Is our strike force sufficient, do you think? Or will I need to call Mother Hecate for help?”

“We have more than enough,” Luke said grimly. “The deal is almost complete. All I need now is to negotiate safe passage through the arena.”

“Mmm,” Kelli said. “That should be interesting. I would hate to see your handsome head on a spike if you fail.”

“I will not fail. And you, demon, don’t you have other matters to attend to?”

“Oh, yes.” Kelli smiled. “I am bringing despair to our eavesdropping enemies. I am doing that right now.”

She turned her eyes directly on Percy, exposing her talons, and ripping through the dream.

Suddenly, they were in a different place.

The Doctor and Percy were standing at the top of a stone tower, overlooking rocky cliffs and the ocean below. Daedalus was hunched over a worktable, wrestling with a handmade compass. He looked significantly older than the last time they’d seen him. He was stooped and his hands were gnarled. He cursed in Ancient Greek and squinted at his work. 

“Uncle!” A voice called.

A smiling boy, around Nico’s age, came bounding up the steps, a wooden box in hand.

“Hello, Perdix,” the old man said, though his tone was cold. “Done with your projects already?”

“Yes, Uncle. They were easy!”

Daedalus scowled. “Easy? The problem of moving water uphill without a pump was easy?”

“Oh, yes! Look!”

The boy dumped his box and rummaged through the junk. He arose with a strip of papyrus and showed the old inventor his diagrams and notes. Daedalus nodded grudgingly. “I see. Not bad.”

“The king loved it!” Perdix said. “He said I might be even smarter than you!”

“Did he now?”

“But I don’t believe that. I’m so glad Mother sent me to study with you! I want to know everything you do.”

“Yes,” Daedalus muttered. “So when I die, you can take my place, eh?”

The boy’s eyes widened. “Oh no, Uncle! But I’ve been thinking…why does a man have to die, anyway?”

The inventor scowled. “It is the way of things, lad. Everything dies but the gods.”

“But  _ why? _ ” The boy insisted. “If you could capture the animus, the soul in another form…Well, you’ve told me about your automations, Uncle. Bulls, eagles, dragons, horses of bronze. Why not bronze form for a man?”

“No, my boy,” Daedalus said sharply. “You are naïve. Such a thing is impossible.”

“I don’t think so,” Perdix insisted. “With the use of a little magic –”

“Magic? Bah!”

“Yes, Uncle! Magic and mechanics together – with a little work, one could make a body that would look exactly human, only better. I’ve made some notes.”

He handed the old man a thick scroll. Daedalus unfurled it and read for a long while. His eyes narrowed and he glanced at the boy, then closed the scroll and cleared his throat. “It would never work, my boy. When you’re older, you’ll see.”

“Can I fix that astrolabe, then, Uncle? Are your joints swelling up again?”

The old man’s jaw clenched. “No. Thank you. Now why don’t you run along?”

Perdix didn’t seem to notice the man’s anger and so snatched a bronze beetle from his mound of things and ran to the edge of the tower. A low sill ringed the rim, coming just up to the boy’s knees. The wind was strong.

Perdix wound up the beetle and tossed into the sky. It spread its wings and hummed away. Perdix laughed with delight.

“Smarter than me,” Daedalus mumbled, too soft for the young boy to hear.

“Is it true your son died flying, Uncle? I heard you made him enormous wings, but they failed.”

Daedalus’s hands clenched. “Take my place,” he muttered. 

The wind whipped around the boy, tugging at his clothes and making his hair ripple. 

“I would like to fly,” Perdix said. “I’d make my own wings that wouldn’t fail. Do you think I could?”

Daedalus picked up another one of the boy’s metal bugs. The inventor’s eyes were red with anger.

“Perdix,” he called. “Catch.”

He tossed the bronze beetle towards the boy. Delighted, Perdix tried to catch it, but the throw was too long. The beetle sailed into the open sky, and Perdix reached a little too far. The wind caught him.

Somehow, he managed to grab the rim of the tower with his fingers and he fell. “Uncle!” he screamed. “Help me!”

Daedalus did not move. “Go on, Perdix. Make your own wings. Be quick about it.”

“Uncle!” the boy cried as he lost his grip and tumbled towards the sea.

There was a moment of deadly silence, and the Doctor could see the god Janus flicker on Daedalus’s shoulder for just a fraction of a second. 

A woman’s stern voice spoke from above:  _ “You will pay the price for that, Daedalus.” _

Athena. The Doctor recognized. 

Daedalus scowled up at the heavens. “I have always honored you, Mother. I have sacrificed everything to follow your way.”

_ “Yet the boy had my blessing as well. And you have killed him. For that, you must pay.” _

“I’ve paid and paid!” Daedalus growled. “I’ve lost everything. I’ll suffer in the Underworld, no doubt. But in the meantime…”

He picked up the boy’s scroll and studied it for a moment, slipping it into his sleeve.

_ “You do not understand,”  _ Athena said coldly.  _ “You will pay now and forever.” _

Daedalus collapsed suddenly in agony. The Doctor could feel what Daedalus felt, he felt the searing pain that closed around his neck. Beside him, the Doctor saw Percy crumple to the ground and the dream went black.

The Doctor jumped awake. Percy was beside him in the dark, clutching his throat.

“Doctor…Percy…You guys okay?” Grover whispered through the dark.

“Brilliant.” The Doctor said as Percy nodded through the dark,

“I’m fine.”

Grover sniffed. “I miss Juniper.”

“You’ll see her soon.” The Doctor promised.

“Doctor, what day is it?”

“June thirteenth.”

“That’s – That’s seven days since we left camp!” Grover cried.

“What?” Percy said. “That can’t be right.”

“Time is faster in the Labyrinth,” The Doctor reminded him.

“Oh,” Percy said. “Right.” He looked to Grover. “Your deadline with the Council of Cloven Elders.”

Grover sighed. “I’m out of time. As soon as I go back, they’ll take away my searcher’s license. I’ll never be allowed to go out again.”

“I’ll change their minds,” The Doctor promised. “I’ll make them give you more time.”

Grover swallowed. “They’ll never go for it, not even from you. The world is dying. Every day it gets worse. The wild…I can just feel it fading. I  _ have  _ to find Pan.”

“You will.” The Doctor promised.

“Yeah man, you got this.” Percy agreed.

“You’ve always been such good friends.” Grover said. “You do so much…I wish I could be more like you.”

“Grover, you’re better.” The Doctor promised. “You may not understand now, but you will one day see, that you are greater than either I or Percy could ever be – sorry Percy.”

“It’s fine.” Percy said.

“No, I’m not.” Grover said. “I’m not a hero. I keep trying but…” He let out a sigh. “I can’t go back to camp without finding Pan. I just can’t. You understand that, don’t you? I can’t face Juniper if I fail. I can’t even face myself.”

“Then we won’t return without finding him.” The Doctor assured the satyr.

“Yeah, you’re the champion goat boy, all right?” Percy said. “Juniper knows that. So do we.”

Grover closed his eyes. “Champion goat boy,” He muttered dejectedly.

After a while, Grover dozed off, still muttering to himself.

The next morning and they were saying their goodbyes to Nico. “You could join us,” The Doctor said.

“I need time to think.” His eyes were still filled with anger, but dusted with confusion. 

“Nico,” Annabeth said. “Bianca just wants you to be okay.”

She put a hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away. 

“Wait, before you go!” Eurytion was hurrying towards them.

Percy and Annabeth’s weapons were out in an instant.

“No, listen.” Eurytion said quickly, “Before he notices I’m gone, look I’m sick of Geryon, so if I can do anything to spite him, I will. Is there anything I can do, before you go?”

“Do you know where Hephaestus is?” The Doctor asked. “Hera said he’d be around here.”

Eurytion looked anxiously behind his shoulder, then pulled something from under the collar of his shirt. It was a necklace – a smooth silver disk on a silver chain. The disk had a depression in the middle like a thumbprint.

“Hephaestus comes here from time to time,” Eurytion said. “Studies the animals and such so he can make bronze automation copies. Last time, I – uh – did him a favour. A little trick he wanted to play on my dad, Ares, and Aphrodite. He gave me that chain as gratitude. Said if I ever needed to find him, the disk would lead me to his forges. But only once.”

“And you’re giving it to us?” Annabeth asked.

Eurytion blushed. “I don’t need to see the forges, miss. Got enough to do here. Just press the button and you’ll be on your way.”

“Thank you,” The Doctor said, “And just you wait. I’ll be back. And things are gonna change around here.”

The Time Lord took the necklace and pressed the disk. It sprang to life and grew eight metallic legs. Annabeth shrieked at the sight of it. “Spider!”

Eurytion tilted his head in confusion.

“She’s, um, a little scared of spiders.” Grover explained. “That old grudge between Athena and Arachne.”

“Oh.” Eurytion looked embarrassed. “Sorry, miss.”

The spider scrambled to the cattle guard and disappeared between the bars.

“Come on,” The Doctor said, “It won’t wait for us.”

Annabeth wasn’t anxious to follow, but didn’t have much of a choice. They said their goodbyes to Eurytion and Nico.

“You’d better make good on that promise, Doctor!” Eurytion called as the heroes hurried off back into the maze.

The spider was fast. If it weren’t for the Doctor, Grover, and Tyson’s advanced hearing, they would have lost it long ago. 

They ran down a marble tunnel, then rushed to the left and nearly fell into an abyss. Tyson grabbed the Doctor and pulled him back before he could fall. The tunnel continued before them, but there was no floor for approximately thirty meters, just gaping darkness and a series of iron rungs in the ceiling. The mechanical spider was about halfway across, swinging from bar to bar by shooting out metal web fiber.

“Monkey bars,” Annabeth said. “I’m great at these.”

She leapt onto the first rung and began to swing her way across. 

“Allons-y!” The Doctor grinned, following her, Percy right behind.

Once the Doctor got across, he looked back and saw Tyson carrying Grover across on his back. Tyson made it across in three swings, which was a good thing, as the last iron bar ripped from under his weight just as he landed.

They kept moving, passing a skeleton crumpled in the tunnel. He was wearing the remains of a dress-shirt, trousers, and a tie. The spider did not slow. Percy slipped on a pile of wood. The Doctor grabbed his arm to steady him, and Percy shone his light on the ground. They were pencils, hundreds of them. All broken in half.

The tunnel opened up onto a large room. A blazing light hit them, and the first thing the Doctor noticed were the skeletons. Dozens of them littered the floor around them. Some were old and bleached white, others were more recent and still decomposing.

It was then that the Doctor saw the monster. She stood on a glittery dais on the opposite side of the room. She had the body of a massive lion and the head of a woman. She had a blue ribbon badge pinned to her chest that read: THIS MONSTER HAS BEEN RATED  **EXEMPLARY!**

Tyson whimpered. “Sphinx.”

Spotlights blazed on either side of the creature. The only exit was a tunnel right behind the dais. The mechanical spider scuttled between the Sphinx’s paws and disappeared. 

Annabeth started forth, but the Sphinx roared, revealing her fangs. Bars came down on both tunnel exits, behind and in front.

Immediately, the monster’s smile turned to a brilliant smile.

“Welcome, lucy contestants!” She announced. “Get ready to play…ANSWER THAT RIDDLE!”

Canned applause burst from the ceiling. Spotlights swept across the room and reflected off the dais, throwing disco glitter over the skeletons on the floor.

“Fabulous prizes!” the Sphinx said. “Pass the test and you get to advance! Fail, and I get to eat you! Who will be our contestant?”

All eyes fell on the Doctor. He stepped forth to the contestant’s podium, which had a skeleton in a school uniform hunched over it. He delicately shifted him off the podium and awaited his riddle.

“Welcome, Doctor!” The Sphinx cried, “Are you ready for your test?”

“Yes.” The Doctor said. “Ask your riddle.”

“Twenty riddles, actually!” The Sphinx said gleefully.

“Brilliant.” The Doctor grinned. “On you go, then.”

A drumroll sounded from above. The Sphinx’s eyes glittered with excitement. “What…is the capital of Bulgaria?”

“Sofia.”

“Correct!” More canned applause. The monster smiled so wide that her fangs showed. “Please be sure to mark your answer clearly on your test sheet with a number 2 pencil.”

“Oh – er – I don’t have –”

A test booklet appeared on the podium before him, along with a sharpened pencil.

“Make sure you bubble each answer clearly and stay inside the circle,” the Sphinx said. “If you have to erase, erase completely or the machine will not be able to read your answers.”

“Right.” The Doctor said, filling in the first bubble.

“Now, next question, what is the square root of sixteen?”

“Four.”

“Correct! Which U.S. president signed the Emancipation Proclamation?”

“Abraham Lincoln, I was there, brilliant man.”

“Correct! Riddle number four.”

This continued for a while, and the Doctor answered each and every question. 

“One hundred percent!” The Sphinx smiled, allowing for confetti to fall from the ceiling and applause to ring out. 

“You may continue on your way!”

“Goodbye.” 

“Doctor, were you seriously there for the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation?” Annabeth asked as they made their way forth.

“Who d’you think helped write it?”


	10. Into the Forges

Even after the Sphinx’s quiz, the Doctor could still hear the very faint clinking of the metallic spider. They took a few turns, and eventually found the spider banging its tiny head on a metal door. The door was oval with metal rivets around the edges and a wheel for a doorknob. There was a big brass plaque, green with age, with a Greek Êta inscribed in the middle.

The group exchanged a look.

“Ready to meet Hephaestus?” Grover said nervously. 

“No.” Percy admitted.

“Yes!” Tyson said gleefully, turning the wheel.

As soon as the door opened, the spider scuttled inside with Tyson right behind it, the rest of them following. 

The room itself was massive, looking something like a mechanic’s garage. There were several hydraulic lifts, some with cars on them, others with other things such as a bronze hippalectryon who was missing its horse head and had wires hanging from its rooster tail, a metal lion who was hooked up to a battery charger, and a Greek war chariot made entirely of flames.

Smaller projects cluttered a dozen worktables. Tools hung along the walls, each with their own outline on a Pegboard, but nothing seemed to be in the right place. The hammer was over the screwdriver place, the staple gun was where the hacksaw should be.

Under the nearest hydraulic lift, which was holding a car, a pair of legs stuck out – the lower half of a large man in grubby gray pants. One leg was in a metal brace.

The spider scuttled under the car, and the sounds of banging stopped.

“Well, well,” a deep voice boomed from beneath the car. “What do we have here?”

The mechanic pushed out on a back trolley and sat up. Hephaestus wore a jumpsuit and was smeared with oil and grime. He had _Hephaestus_ embroidered over the breast pocket. His leg creaked and clicked in its metal brace as he stood, and his left shoulder was a little lower than his right. He wore a permanent scowl, his black beard was smoking and hissing. Every once in a while, a small wildfire would erupt in his whiskers then die out. His hands were large, but he handled the spider with amazing skill. He disassembled it in two seconds, then put it back together.

“There,” he muttered to himself. “Much better.”

The spider did a happy flip in his palm and shot a metallic web at the ceiling, swinging away.

Hephaestus glowered up at them. “I didn’t make you, did I?”

“Nope,” The Doctor said, popping the ‘p’.

“Good,” the god grumbled. “Shoddy workmanship.”

He studied Percy and Annabeth. “Half-bloods,” he identified. “Could be automatons, of course, but probably not.”

“We’ve met, sir.” Percy said.

“Have we?” the god asked absently. He didn’t seem to care either way. “Well then, if I didn’t smash you to a pulp the first time we met, I suppose I won’t have to do it now.”

He looked at Grover and frowned. “Satyr.” He looked to the Doctor. “Time Lord.” Fascinating. So he knew who the Doctor was then…The god then looked at Tyson and his eyes twinkled. “Well, a Cyclops. Good, good. What are you doing traveling with this lot?”

“Uh…” said Tyson, staring in wonder at the god.

“Yes, well said,” Hephaestus agreed. “So there’d better be a good reason you’re disturbing me. The suspension on this Corolla is no small matter, you know.”

“We’re looking for Daedalus.” The Doctor said.

_ “Daedalus?”  _ the god roared. “You want that old scoundrel? You dare seek him out!”

His head burst into flames and his black eyes glowed.

“Yep.”

“Humph. You’re wasting your time.” He frowned at something on his worktable and limped over to it. He picked up a lump of springs and metal plates and tickered with them. In a few seconds he was holding a bronze and silver falcon. It spread its metal wings, blinked its obsidian eyes, and flew around the room.

Tyson laughed and clapped his hands. The bird landed on Tyson’s shoulder and nipped affectionately at his ear.

Hephaestus regarded him. The god’s scowl didn’t change, but in his eyes there was a kind twinkle. “I sense you have something to tell me, Cyclops.”

Tyson’s smile faded. “Y-yes, lord. We met a Hundred-Handed One.”

Hephaestus nodded, looking unsurprised. “Briares?”

“Yes. He – he was scared. He said he’d help, but then didn’t follow us.”

“And that bothered you.”

“Yes!” Tyson’s voice wavered. “Briares should be strong! He is older and greater than Cyclipes. But he ran away.”

Hephaestus grunted. “There was a time I admired the Hundred-Handed Ones. Back in the days of the first war. But people, monsters, even gods change, young Cyclops. You can’t trust ‘em. Look at my loving mother, Hera. You met her, didn’t you? She’ll smile to your face and talk about how important family is, eh? Didn’t stop her from pitching me off Mount Olympus when she saw my ugly face.”

“But I thought Zeus did that to you,” Percy said.

Hephaestus cleared his throat and spat into a bronze spittoon. He snapped his fingers and the robotic falcon flew back to the worktable.

“Mother likes telling that version of the story,” he grumbled. “Makes her seem more likeable, doesn’t it? Blaming it all on my dad. The truth is, my mother likes families, but she likes a certain kind of family.  _ Perfect  _ families. She took one look at me and…well, I don’t fit the image, do I?”

He pulled a feather from the falcon’s back, allowing for the entire automation to fall apart.

“Believe me, young Cyclops,” he went on, “you can’t trust others. All you can trust is the work of your own hands.”

“There’s no such thing as a perfect family.” The Doctor said. “And that’s okay. It doesn’t mean you can't have a happy family. Trust is a part of that journey.”

“Yes, so you say, but tell me, who do you trust, Doctor?” Hephaestus questioned.

“He trusts us!” Annabeth piped up. 

“Oh, he does, do you think? Tell me then, half-blood, do you know your fate?” Before she could answer, he went on. “Do you know what happens to those he has traveled with in the past? Do you know what happened to them?”

“I –” Annabeth looked confused, the Doctor began to get cagy, anxious.

“Or what about the destruction he’s caused – Yes, he’s told you, but has he shown you? The destruction? The terror that plagues his every movement. The wrath that he holds within?”

Annabeth was silent.

“I thought as much.” Hephaestus said coldly. “So no, Doctor, don’t tell me to trust.”

He then turned back to Tyson. “What is your reason for coming to me?”

“Daedalus,” Tyson said. “Like Doctor said, we need Daedalus.”

“I told you, it’s a waste of time. He won’t help you.”

“Why not?” Percy asked.

Hephaestus shrugged. “Some of us get thrown off mountain sides. Some of us…the way we learn not to trust people is even more painful. As me for gold. Or a flaming sword. Or a magical steed. These I can grant you easily. But a way to Daedalus? That’s an expensive favour.”

“You know where he is, then.” Annabeth pressed.

“It isn’t wise to go looking, girl.”

“My mother says looking is the nature of wisdom.”

Hephaestus narrowed his eyes. “Who’s your mother, then?”

“Athena.”

“Figures.” He sighed. “Fine goddess, Athena. A shame she pledged never to marry. All right, half-blood. I can tell you what you want to know. But there is a price. I need a favour done.”

“Name it.”

Hephaestus laughed. “You heroes,” he said, “Always making rash promises. How refreshing!”

He pressed a button on his workbench and metal shutters opened along the wall. It was a large screen that revealed a gray mountain ringed in forests. It was clearly a volcano, as smoke rose from its crest. 

“One of my forges,” Hephaestus said. “I have many, but that used to be my favorite.”

“Mount St. Helens.” The Doctor identified.

Grover nodded. “Great forests around there.”

“You’ve been there?” Percy asked.

“Looking for…you know. Pan.”

“Wait,” Annabeth said, looking at Hephaestus. “You said it  _ used to be  _ your favorite. What happened?”

The god scratched his smouldering beard. “Well, that’s where the monster Typhon is trapped, you know. Used to be under Mount Etna, but when we moved to America, his force got pinned under Mount St. Helens instead. Great source of fire, but a bit dangerous. There’s always a chance he will escape. Lots of eruptions these days, smouldering all the time. He’s restless with the Titan rebellion.”

“What do you want us to do?” Percy asked. “Fight him?”

Hephaestus snorted. “That would be suicide. The gods themselves ran from Typhon when he was free. No, pray you never have to see him, much less fight him. But lately I have sensed intruders in my mountain. Someone or something is using my forges. When I go there, it is empty, but I can sense it is being used. They sense me coming, and they disappear. I send my automations to investigate, but they do not return. Something…ancient is there. Evil. I want to know who dares invade my territory, and if they mean to loose Typhon.”

“You want us to find out who it is.” Percy said.

“Aye,” Hephaestus said. “Go there. They may not sense you coming. You are not gods.”

“Glad you noticed.” Percy muttered.

“Go and find out what you can,” Hephaestus said. “Report back to me, and I will tell you what you need to know about Daedalus.”

“All right,” Annabeth said. “How do we get there?”

Hephaestus clapped his hands. The spider returned, swinging from the rafters. Annabeth flinched when it landed at her feet.

“My creation will show you the way,” Hephaestus said. “It is not far through the Labyrinth. And try to stay alive, will you? Humans are much more fragile than automations.”

The Doctor, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson did relatively well until they hit the tree roots. The spider raced along and they were keeping up, but it was then that they spotted a tunnel off to the side that was dug from raw earth and wrapped in thick roots. Grover stopped dead in his tracks, as did the Doctor.

“Can you feel it?” Grover asked. The Doctor nodded.

“Come on!” Annabeth said. “We have to keep moving.”

“This is the way,” Grover muttered in awe. “This is it.”

“What way?” Percy asked. “You mean…to Pan?”

“Yes! This is the way. I’m sure of it!”

Further ahead, the spider was gaining more and more distance between them.

“We’ll come back,” Annabeth promised. “On our way back to Hephaestus.”

“The tunnel will be gone by then.” The Doctor said. “Look, we need to split up.”

“No!” Annabeth said. “That’s way too dangerous. How will we ever find each other again? And Grover can’t go alone.”

Tyson put his hand on Grover’s shoulder. “I – I will go with him.”

Percy stared. “Tyson, are you sure?”

The Cyclops nodded. “Goat boy needs help. We will find the god person. I am not like Hephaestus. I trust friends.”

Grover took a deep breath. “Percy, we’ll find each other again. We’ve still got the empathy link. I just…have to.”

“I hope you’re right.” Percy said.

“I know I am.”

“Be careful.” Percy told him. Tyson then gulped back a sob and gave the half-blood a massive hug. He and Grover then disappeared through the tunnel of tree roots and were lost in the darkness.

“This is bad,” Annabeth said as they hurried to catch up with the spider. “Splitting up is a really, really bad idea.”

It wasn’t long before the stone walls glowed and the air got thick and humid. The tunnel sloped down and the Doctor could hear a loud roar like a river of metal. The spider skittered along, the Doctor, Percy, and Annabeth right behind.

“Doctor, what was Hephaestus talking about?” Percy asked as they hurried along. “About the others you’ve traveled with?”

The Doctor didn’t respond. They kept on.

The roaring got louder, and after another kilometer, they emerged in a massive cavern. The spider stopped and curled into a ball. They had arrived at the forge of Hephaestus. 

There was no floor, just bubbling magma hundreds of meters below. They stood on a rock ridge that circled the cavern. A network of metal bridges spanned across it, and at the center was a massive platform with all sorts of machines, cauldrons, forges, and a massive anvil. Creatures moved around the platform – several strange and dark shapes.

“We’ll never be able to sneak up on them,” Percy said.

Annabeth picked up the metal spider and slipped it into her pocket. “I can. Wait here.”

“Hold it!” Percy said, but before he could argue, she had put on her Yankees cap and disappeared. 

The Doctor and Percy nodded to each other and began to creep along the outer rim of the magma lake, looking for a better angle to see what was happening in the center. The heat got so intense that even the Doctor could feel himself dripping with perspiration. They moved along, trying to keep from the edge, until they found their way blocked by a cart on metal wheels. The Doctor lifted the tarp to find it half-full of scrap metal. The Doctor was about to move forth, when he heard voices from up ahead.

“Bring it in?” one asked.

“Yeah,” another said. “Movie’s just about done.”

Without warning, the Doctor grabbed Percy, and pulled him into the cart, pulling the tarp over them both.

The cart lurched forth.

“Oi,” a gruff voice said. “Thing weighs a ton.”

“It’s celestial bronze,” the other said. “What did you expect?”

The boys got pulled along. They turned a corner, and from the sound of the wheels echoing against the walls, the Doctor guessed that they had passed down a tunnel into a smaller room. There was a lot of chattering voices. They weren’t human. There were other sounds as well, like an old film projector and a tiny voice narrating.

“Just set it in the back.” A new voice ordered from across the room. “Now, younglings, please attend to the film. There will be time for questions afterwards.”

The voices quieted down. The Doctor listened to the film.

_ “As a young sea demon matures,”  _ the narrator said,  _ “changes happen in the monster’s body. You may notice your fangs getting longer and you may have a sudden desire to devour human beings. These changes are perfectly normal and happen to all young monsters.” _

As the film ended, the instructor said, “Now, younglings, what is the proper name of our kind?”

“Sea demons!” One of them barked.

“No. Anyone else?”

“Telkhines!” Another growled.

“Very good,” The instructor said. “And why are we here?”

“Revenge!” Several shouted.

“Yes, yes, but why?”

“Zeus is evil!” One monster said. “He cast us into Tartarus just because we used magic!”

“Indeed,” The instructor said. “After we made so many of the gods’ finest weapons. The trident of Poseidon, for one. And of course – we made the greatest weapon of the Titans! Nevertheless, Zeus cast us away and relied on those fumbling Cyclopes. That is why we are taking over the forges of the usurper Hephaestus. And soon we will control the undersea furnaces, our ancestral home!”

The Doctor could feel Percy’s hand clench around his sword.

“And so, younglings,” the instructor continued, “Who do we serve?”

“Kronos!” They shouted.

“And when you grow to be big telkhines, you will make weapons for his army?”

“Yes!”

“Excellent. Now, we’ve brought in some scraps for you to practice with. Let’s see how ingenious you are.”

Yeah…this wasn’t good.

The tarp was thrown back, and Percy and the Doctor jumped to their feet, Percy’s sword springing to life in his hands. They found themselves facing…a bunch of dogs.

Their faces were dogs, anyways. They had black snouts, brown eyes, and pointed ears. Their bodies were sleek and black like a seal, with stubby legs that were half-flipper, half-foot, and humanoid hands with sharp claws.

“Demigods!” One snarled.

“Eat them!” Yelled another.

But that was as far as they got before Percy slashed a wide arc with Riptide and vaporized the entire front row of monsters.

“Oi! Percy!” The Doctor called in protest.

“Back off!” Percy shouted to the rest of the Telkhines.

“Percy, they’re just kids…” The Doctor told him. 

“Only if they BACK OFF!”

This worked pretty well. The monsters backed up.

The Doctor and Percy climbed out of the cart.

“Run!” The Doctor grinned, and he and Percy sprinted for the exit.

The monsters charged after them, barking and growling. Fortunately, there was a door on the tunnel leading out to the main cavern. The Doctor and Percy slammed it behind them and turned the wheel handle to lock it. But it wouldn’t hold for long, hey both knew this. So they did the only thing they could. They ran towards the platform in the center of the magma lake.

“Annabeth!” Percy yelled.

“Shhh!” Annabeth hissed. “You want to get us killed?” Percy found her with his hands and pulled off her hat. She shimmered into existence before them, scowling, her face streaked with ash and grime. “Percy, what is your problem?”

“We’re going to have company!” 

The Doctor rolled his eyes and quickly explained about the monster orientation class. Her eyes widened.

“So that’s what they are,” she said. “Telkhines. I should’ve known. And they’re making…Well, look.”

The Doctor peered over the cauldron. In the center of the platform stood four sea demons, but they were fully grown, at least eight feet tall. Their black skin glistened in the firelight as they worked, sparks flying as they took turns hammering on a long piece of glowing hot metal.

“The blade is almost complete,” one said. “It needs another cooling in blood to fuse to the metals.”

“Aye,” a second said. “It shall be even sharper than before.”

“What  _ is  _ that?” Percy whispered.

“It’s a weapon…” The Doctor said. “They’re trying to make a weapon stronger than that of the gods.”

“They…they said they made my father's trident.” Percy said.

“The Telkhines betrayed the gods,” Annabeth explained. “They were practicing dark magic. I don’t know what, exactly, but Zeus banished them to Tartarus.”

“With Kronos.” Percy said.

Annabeth nodded. “We have to get out –”

No sooner has she said that, the doors of the classroom exploded, and young Telkhines came pouring out, stumbling over each other to figure out which way to charge.

“Put your cap back on,” The Doctor said. “Run!”

“What?” Annabeth shrieked. “No! I’m not leaving you guys!”

“That’s right, you’re not.” The Doctor said. “Cause Percy, you’re going with her – no arguments. I’ve got a plan. You two can use the metal spider. Maybe it’ll lead you back to Hephaestus. You  _ must _ tell him what’s going on.”

“But you’ll be killed!”

“Come on, Annabeth,” The Doctor grinned. “It’ll take a lot more than that to take me out. Run!”

Annabeth and Percy sprinted off, Annabeth putting her hat back on.

“There!” One of the Telkhines said, pointing at the Doctor. The entire class of them charged across the bridge towards him. The Doctor sprinted towards the center of the platform, surprising the four elder sea demons so much that they dropped their blade.

But their surprise did not last long, and before the Doctor could sprint to an exit, they had them all covered.

The tallest one snarled. “What do we have here? A half-blood?”

The Doctor looked around. There was nowhere to run. He could feel Quintus’s whistle getting colder and colder in his pocket, but he wasn’t sure whether or not to trust it.

Before the Doctor could make a decision, the tallest Telkhine said, “Let us see how strong he truly is. Let us see how long it takes him to burn!”

He scooped some magma from the nearest furnace and set his fingers ablaze, but this didn’t seem to bother him. The other elder Telkhines did the same. The first one threw a glop of molten rock to the Doctor setting his trousers aflame. Two more splattered across his chest. Fire was engulfing him. They threw more, the Doctor crumpled to the metal floor, a scream escaping his lips. 

The Doctor then stood. Allowing the pain to engulf him. 

“What?” The Telkhines breathed.

“I tried to give you a chance.” The Doctor said coldly. He lifted his sonic and buzzed it. The frequency rose and rose until the Doctor felt the volcano erupt, sending himself and the platform into the sky and the last thing he remembered was the feeling of hurtling back to the earth.


	11. The Island of Calypso

The Doctor opened his eyes. His flesh was burning and his throat was dry.

Above him, he saw blue sky and trees. He could hear a fountain gurgling and smelled juniper and cedar. He could hear the waves as well, gently lapping on a rocky shore. 

The Doctor sat up, or tried. His arms seemingly collapsed beneath him.

“Stay still,” a girl’s voice said. “You’re too weak to rise.”

She lay a cool cloth across his forehead. A bronze spoon hovered above him and the liquid was dribbled into his mouth. Nectar of the gods. The girl’s face then appeared above him.

She had almond eyes and carmel-coloured hair that was braided over one shoulder. She looked fifteen or sixteen, but her eyes were so much older. She began to sing, and the Doctor could feel his pain dull. She was working magic. He could feel it seeping into his skin and repairing his wounds.

“‘Ello,” The Doctor managed. “Who’re you, then?”

“Shhh, brave one,” she said. “Rest and heal. No harm will come to you here. I am Calypso.”

The next time the Doctor woke, he was in a cave. Be it, a lovely cave. The ceiling was glittering with different coloured crystal formations, the bed he felt himself on was comfortable with feather pillows and white cotton sheets. The cave itself was divided into sections by white silk curtains. Against one wall stood a large loom and harp. Against the other wall were shelves neatly stacked with jars of fruit preserves. Dried herbes hung from the ceiling: rosemary, thyme, and a variety of others. 

There was a fireplace built into the cave wall, and a pot bubbling over the flames. It smelt to be a sort of beef stew.

The Doctor sat up, ignoring the throbbing pain in his head. He inspected his body, a little pinker than he would have liked, but not charred as he had expected. He was wearing a white cotton T-shirt and cotton drawstring pants that weren’t his. His feet were bare. He let out a breath of relief when he saw his trenchcoat hung on a chair.

With difficulty, the Doctor stood. The stone floor was cold and he turned to pick up his trenchcoat, only to find himself face to face with a polished bronze mirror. He looked like he’d lost a significant amount of weight, despite his genetic advantage. He looked somewhat sickly now. His hair was messy and singed at the edges. 

The Doctor turned from the mirror, snatched up his trenchcoat, and made his way to the cave entrance.

The cave opened up into a green meadow. On the left was a grove of cedar trees, and on the right was a large flower garden. Four fountains gurgled in the meadow, each shooting water from the pipes of stone satyrs. Directly ahead, the grass sloped down to a rocky beach. Waves lapped against the stones and the sun sparkled on the water, the sky a pure blue.

Calypso was standing at the beach, talking to someone. The Doctor moved slowly towards her, willing his legs to move faster. As the grass turned to gravel, the Doctor glanced down, and when he glanced back up, she was alone. The young girl was wearing a white sleeveless Greek dress with a low circular neckline trimmed in gold. She brushed at her eyes. It looked as though she’d been crying.

“Well,” she said, trying for a smile. “The sleeper finally awakes.”

“Are you all right?” The Doctor asked. 

She laughed. “Fine fine. That was just a messenger. How do you feel?”

“Fine. Always fine, me. Where am I, then?”

Calypso reached up and touched her fingers through the Doctor’s mangled hair. 

“I’m sorry,” she said as the Time Lord flinched. “I’ve just grown used to caring for you. This is Ogygia.”

“Brilliant, really, thanks, but I need to get back to my mates. They’re in danger.”

“Rest first.” She encouraged. “You are no good to your friends until you heal.”

“Right, I’m fine. Really, brilliant even. I –”

The Doctor’s knees buckled beneath him.

“Of course, you’re fine.” Calypso smiled, catching the mighty Time Lord as he crashed to the ground and fell unconscious once more.

The next time the Doctor arose, it was dark. He rose, padding outside. The stars were brilliant, bright and beautiful. 

“Penny for your thoughts?”

The Doctor laughed, but said nothing.

“Well, as long as you’re up, you can help me plant these.” She handed the Doctor a glowing plant with a clump of dirt and roots at the base.

“Moonlace,” The Doctor identified as they walked to the edge of the garden to dig. “Lovely flower.”

Calypso hummed in agreement, taking the plant from his hands and planting it in the earth. She then stood, stepping back, surveying her work. “I love my garden.”

“It’s lovely.” The Doctor nodded. “Percy’s mum mentioned wanting a garden…Never got around to getting her one…Been too busy finding Nico…”

“Why did she not simply plant one herself?” Calypso asked.

“They live in Manhattan, in an apartment.” He looked at her, realizing that she did not understand. “Oh, most of the city is concrete and there’s too many people, so they are given places to live atop one another. There is no room for a garden.”

“That’s sad.” Calypso frowned. “Hermes visits from time to time. He tells me the world outside has changed greatly. I did not realize it had changed so much you cannot have gardens.”

“It’s not all the world,” The Doctor promised. “There are still many places to plant gardens.”

“Good…that’s good.” She muttered. “Do you think you’ll be ready to leave soon?” Her eyes were sad.

“Yes,” The Doctor said. “I will leave whenever you want me to.”

“I…I’ll see you in the morning.” Her voice broke.

“Calypso!” The Doctor called, she stopped. “This is about your punishment, isn’t it?”

She nodded, her eyes trained on the ground.

“It’s not your fault that you’re here, you know.”

“I –”

“When all this is done, I’ll take you away. I don’t care about your curse, okay? You don’t deserve to be here.”

“Really?” Her ancient eyes looked hopeful.

“Really.”

“Sleep well.” Calypso ran off, disappearing into the dark. 

Hephaestus came to visit only ten hours later. He sat down clumsily at the dinner table, joining the Doctor and Calypso. He ordered a Pepsi from the invisible servants.

“Hephaestus, have you heard from Annabeth and Percy –”

“They’re fine.” He said. “The girl is resourceful. Found a way back and told me the whole story. They’re worried sick, you know. Everyone thinks you’re dead. I came here to be sure you were coming back before I started telling everyone where you were.” 

“What?”

Hephaestus studied the Doctor skeptically, fishing a metal disk from his pocket. He clicked a button and it expanded to a small bronze telly. On the screen was news footage of Mount St. Helens, a large plume of fire and ash trailing into the sky.

 _“Still uncertain about further eruptions,”_ the newscaster was saying. _“Authorities have ordered the evacuation of almost half a million people as a precaution. Meanwhile, ash has fallen as far away as Lake Tahoe and Vancouver, and the entire Mount St. Heles area is closed to traffic within a hundred-mile radius. While no deaths have been reported, minor injuries and illnesses include –”_

Hephaestus switched it off. “You caused quite an explosion.”

“Any deaths?” The Doctor asked, keeping all emotion from his voice.

“I don’t keep track of mortal deaths, kid.” Hephaestus said. “The Telkhines were scattered, some vaporized, some got away, no doubt. I don’t think they’ll be using my forge any time soon. On the other hand, neither will I. The explosion caused Typhon to stir in his sleep. We’ll have to wait and see if he’ll escape.”

“Have you heard from Grover and Tyson?”

The god shook his head. “No word, I’m afraid. I suppose the Labyrinth has them.”

The Doctor nodded.

“I’ll tell you something, I promised you an answer to your quest. I promised you the way to Daedalus. Well now, here’ the thing. It has nothing to do with Ariadne’s string. Not really. Sure, the string works. That’s what the Tita’s army will be after. But the best way through the maze…Theseus had the princess’s help. And the princess was a regular mortal. Not a drop of god blood in her. But she was clever, and she could see, lad. She could see –”

“Through the Mist. The Doctor realized. “She could see through the Mist.”

“Then you’ll need to decide whether or not you’re leaving.”

“I want to leave.”

“Don’t decide yet.” Hephaestus said. “Wait until daybreak. Daybreak is a good time for decisions.” He downed the rest of his Pepsi. “Daedalus started well enough as an inventor. He helped the Princess Ariadne and Theseus because he felt sorry for them. He tried to do a good deed. And everything in his life went bad because of it. Was that fair?” The god shrugged. “I don’t know if Daedalus will help you, lad, but don’t judge someone until you’ve stood at his forge and worked with his hammer, eh?”

The Doctor nodded.

Hephaestus stood. “Goodbye, lad. You did well, destroying the Telkhines. I’ll always remember you for that.”

“Please don’t.” The Doctor said. But the god was already gone.

The Doctor walked along the beach for a while before finally finding Calypso in the meadow. She was still in her garden, tending the flowers by starlight. Her moonlace glowed silver.

“He has ordered you return.” Calypso guessed.

“No, not ordered. He gave me an option.”

“I promised I would not offer.” Calypso’s eyes met the Doctor’s.

“I know.”

“They always do this.” She whispered, tears escaping her eyes. “They always send me someone who can never stay. Who can never accept my offer of companionship for more than a little while. They send me a hero I can’t help…just the sort of person I can’t help falling in love with.”

“I know, I know.” The Doctor said. “I’ll take you away from here. I swear. I’ll come back.”

“If – If you don’t…” Calypso picked a flower from her garden – a sprig of silver moonlace. Its glow faded as the sunrise came. She tucked it into the Doctor’s breast pocket. “Come to the beach, my hero.” She said. “And we will send you on your way.”

The raft was made of logs lashed together with a pole for a mast alongside a simple white linen sail.

“This will take you wherever you desire.” Calypso promised. “It is quite safe.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

Calypso smiled sadly and without faith. “I’ll be waiting.”

Within minutes, the island of Ogygia was lost in the mist, and the Doctor was sailing alone over the water towards the sunrise. The Doctor didn’t know where else to go, so he said the only place he could think of. “Camp Half-Blood.”


	12. Surprise! I'm Not Dead

Two hours later, the Doctor washed up at Camp Half-Blood. When he landed, the camp seemed deserted, but he then noticed smoke rising from the amphitheater. He made his way towards it.

Before he even got there, he could hear Chiron making an announcement: “–assume he is dead.” Chiron was saying. “After so long a silence, it is unlikely our prayers will be answered. I have asked his best surviving friends to do the final honours.”

The Doctor came up on the back of the amphitheatre. Nobody saw him. They were all looking forth, watching as Annabeth and Percy took a long green silk burial cloth, embroidered with a trident, and set it on the flames together. They were burning his shroud.

The two turned to face the audience, Annabeth spotted him. Her jaw dropped.

“‘Ello, then.” He grinned.

Every head turned. 

“Doctor!” Beckendorf grinned. The children began to crowd around the Doctor, clapping him on the back. The Doctor heard a few curses from the Ares cabin, but Clarisse just rolled her eyes, like she couldn’t believe he had the nerve to survive. Chiron cantered over and everyone made way for him.

“Well,” he sighed with obvious relief. “I don’t believe I’ve ever been happier to see a camper return. But you must tell me –”

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?” Annabeth interrupted, shoving aside the other campers, a quiet, yet excited Percy behind her. She grabbed the Doctor, pulling him into a tight embrace, then pushing him away. “I – We thought you were dead!”

“Yeah, well, I was in the ocean for a while.”

“I DON’T – YOU WERE GONE FOR TWO WEEKS!”

“I do know that.” The Doctor said. “I am a  _ Time  _ Lord.”

“Annabeth, Doctor” Chiron interrupted. “Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere more private, shall we? The rest of you, back to your normal activities!”

Without waiting for protest, Chiron picked up the Doctor, Percy, and Annabeth, and slung them onto his back, galloping off towards the Big House.

The Doctor didn’t tell the whole story, but explained the jist of it. Enough for Chiron to be satisfied.

“You’ve been gone two weeks.” Percy repeated Annabeth’s sentiments. “When we heard the explosion, we thought –”

“I know. But I figured out how to get through the Labyrinth.” The Doctor said.

“He told you the answer?” Annabeth stared.

“Well, no, but I figured it out. Theseus was led through, not by the string, but by a mortal who could see through the Mist.”

“But this is  _ my  _ quest!” Annabeth said. “ _ I  _ need to lead it.”

Chiron looked uncomfortable. “My dear, it is your quest. But you need help.”

“And  _ this  _ is supposed to help? Please! It’s wrong. It’s cowardly. It’s –”

“Annabeth, do you hear yourself?” The Doctor asked. “Mortals have more power than you know. Do  _ not  _ be prejudice towards them.”

Annabeth looked down. “Fine. Whatever.”

“In the morning I will have Argus take the three of you into Manhattan. You might stop by Percy’s mother. She’s…distraught.”

“What about Grover and Tyson?” The Doctor asked. “Have you heard from them?”

“Not as of yet, my boy.” Chiron gazed into the empty fireplace. “Juniper is quite distressed. All her branches are turning yellow. The Council of Cloven Elders have revoked Grover’s searcher’s license in absentia. Assuming he comes back alive, they will force him into a shameful exile.” He sighed. “Grover and Tyson are very resourceful, however. We can still hope.”

“We shouldn’t have let them run off.” Percy said.

“Grover has his own destiny, and Tyson was brave to follow him. You would know if Grover was in mortal danger, don’t you think?”

“The empathy link.” Percy nodded.

“And Quintus, I want to speak to him.” The Doctor said.

“Yes…You see, Quintus has disappeared.” Chiron admitted. “Three nights ago he slipped into the Labyrinth. Juniper watched him go.”

“He’s a spy for Luke.” Percy said, explaining about Triple G Ranch – how Quintus had bought his scorpions there and how Geryon had bought the scorpions there. “It can’t be a coincidence.”

Chiron sighed heavily. “So many betrayals. I had hoped Quintus would prove a friend. It seems my judgement was bad.”

“And Mrs. O’Leary?” The Doctor asked.

“The hellhound is still in the arena. It –” wouldn’t let anyone approach. I did not have the heart to force it –”

“She.” The Doctor corrected.

_ “She _ wouldn’t let anyone approach.” Chiron said. “I did not have the heart to force it –”

“Her.”

“Force  _ her _ into a cage…or destroy it – her.”

“I don’t think Quintus would leave her.”

“As I said, Doctor, we seem to have been wrong about him. Now, you should prepare yourself for the morning. You, Percy, and Annabeth still have much to do.”

Before dinner, the Doctor stopped by the sword arena where he found Mrs. O’Leary, she was curled up in an enormous black mound, chewing halfheartedly on the head of a warrior dummy. She came bounding up in greeting to the Doctor, licking his face affectionately.

“Why did he leave you here, then?” The Doctor asked. She didn’t know. 

“You’re lucky she didn’t bite your head off.” 

Clarisse was standing at the other end of the arena with her sword and shield. “Came here to practice yesterday,” she grumbled. “Dog tried to chew me up.”

“She’s clever like that.”

“Funny.”

She walked towards them. Mrs. O’Leary growled.

“It’s fine, she’s a friend.” The Doctor insisted.

“Stupid hellhound,” Carisse said. “Not going to keep me from practicing.”

“Chris,” The Doctor asked, “How is he?”

Clarisse sighed. “He’s not good. He won’t respond to anything, won’t take food or drink…None of Chiron’s medicines are helping…Chiron thinks he’s lost the will to live…”

“I’m so sorry.”

Clarisse paced a circle around the arena. When she came to the nearest dummy, she attacked viciously, chopping its head off with a single blow and driving her sword through its torso. She removed her sword and continued on.

“Yeah, well, sometimes things go wrong.” Her voice was shaky. “Heroes get hurt. They…they die, and the monsters just keep coming back.”

“Don’t I know…”

Clarisse picked up a javelin and threw across the arena. It nailed a dummy directly between the eyeholes of its helmet.

“He’s brave, Clarisse. Don’t give up hope.”

She hummed in agreement. “Do me a favour, will you?”

“Of course.”

“If you find Daedalus, don’t trust him. Don’t ask him for help. Just kill him.”

“Clarisse –”

“Because anybody who can make something like the Labyrinth, Doctor, that person is evil. Plain evil.”

“It wasn’t Daedalus who did this to Chris.” The Doctor told him. Clarisse met his eye.

“I don’t care.”

That night, the Doctor dove into Percy’s dream. They were in a king’s courtroom – a large white chamber with marble columns and a wooden throne. Sitting on it was a large man with curly red hair and a crown of laurels. At his side stood three girls who looked to be his daughters, as they all had his red hair and were dressed in the same blue robes.

The doors creaked open and a herald announced, “Minos, King of Crete!”

The man on the throne smiled at his daughters. “I can’t wait to see the expression on his face.”

Minos swept into the room. He was tall and serious, and his pointed beard had gone gray. He looked thinner than the last time the Doctor had seen him, and his sandals were spattered with mud. Yet in his eyes, the same cruel light shone through.

He bowed stiffly to the man on the throne. “King Cocalus. I understand you have solved my little riddle?”

Cocalus smiled. “Hardly  _ little,  _ Minos. Especially when you advertise across the world that you are willing to pay a thousand gold talents to the one who can solve it. Is the offer genuine?”

Minos clapped his hands and two guards entered, struggling with a large wooden crate. Hey set it at Cocalus’s feet and opened it. Stacks of gold bars glittered within. It would be worth approximately  £1,068,791,274.81 today. In other words, a lot of money.

Cocalus whistled appreciatively. “You must have bankrupted your kingdom for such a reward, my friend.”

“That is not your concern.”

Cocalus shrugged. “The riddle was quite simple, really. One of my retainers solved it.”

“Father,” one of the girls warned. She looked to be the oldest of the three girls.

Cocaus ignored her. He took a spiral seashell from the folds of his robe. A silver string had been threaded through it, so it hung like a large bead on a necklace.

Minos stepped forth, taking the shell. “One of your retainers, you say? How did he thread the string without breaking the shell?”

“He used an ant, if you can believe it. Tied a silk string to the little creature and coaxed it through the shell by putting honey at the far end.”

“Ingenious man,” Minos said.

“Oh, indeed. My daughters’ tutor. They are quite fond of him.”

Minos’s eyes turned cold. “I would be careful of that.”  
The redheaded king chuckled. “Not to worry, Minos. My daughters are wise beyond their years. Now, about my gold –”

“Yes,” Minos said. “But you see the gold is for the man who solved the riddle. And there can be only one such man. You are harboring Daedalus.”

Cocalus shifted uncomfortably on his throne. “How is it that you know his name?”  
“He is a thief,” Minos said. “He once worked in my court, Cocalus. He turned my own daughter against me. He helped a usurper make a fool of me in my own palace. And then he escaped justice. I have been pursuing him for ten years.”

“I offer you a choice,” Minos said. “Turn over the fugitive to me, and this gold is yours. Or risk making me your enemy. You do not want Crete as your enemy.”

Cocalus paled. 

“Father,” his eldest daughter said, “You can’t –”

“Silence, Aelia.” Cocalus twisted his beard. He looked again at the glittering gold. “This pains me, Minos. The gods do not love a man who breaks his oath of hospitality.”

“The gods do not love those who harbor criminals either.”

Cocalus nodded. “Very well. You shall have your man in chains.”

“Father!” Aelia said again. Then she caught herself and changed her voice to a sweeter tone. “At – at least let us feast our guest first. After his long journey, he should be treated to a hot bath, new clothes, and a decent meal. I would be honoured to draw the bath myself.”

She smiled prettily at Minos, and the old king grunted. “I suppose a bath would not be amiss.” He looked at Cocalus. “I will see you at dinner, my lord. With the prisoner.”

“This way, Your Majesty,” said Aelia. She and her sisters led Minos from the chamber.

The Doctor and Percy followed them into a bath chamber decorated with mosaic tiles. Steam filled the air and a faucet poured hot running water into the tub. Aelia and her sisters filled it with rose petals and multicoloured bubbles. The girls turned aside as Minos dropped his robes and slipped into the bath.

“Ahh.” He smiled. “An excellent bath. Thank you, my dears. The journey has been long indeed.”

“You have been chasing your prey ten years, my lord?” Aelia asked, batting her eyelashes. “You must be very determined.”

“I never forget a debt.” Minos grinned. “Your father was wise to agree to my demands.”

“Oh, indeed, my lord!” Aelia said. Her sisters trickled scented oil over the king’s head. “You know, my lord, Daedalus thought you would come. He thought the riddle might be a trap, but he couldn’t resist solving it.”

Minos frowned. “Daedalus spoke to you about me?”

“Yes, my lord.”  
“He is a bad man, princess. My own daughter fell under his spell. Do not listen to him.”

“He is a genius,” Aelia said. “And he believes a woman is just as smart as a man. He was the first to ever teach us as if he had minds of our own. Perhaps your daughter felt the same way.”

Minos tried to sit up, but Aelia’s sisters pushed him back into the water. Aelia came up behind him. She held three small orbs in her palm. She threw them into the water and the beads sprouted bronze threads that began wrapping around the king, tying him up at the ankles, binding his wrists to his sides, circling his neck. It was horrible to watch. He thrashed and cried out, but the girls were much stronger. Soon he was helpless, lying in the bath with just his chin above the water. The bronze strands were still wrapping around him, tightening across his body like a cacoon.

“What do you want?” Minos demanded. “Why do you do this?”

Aelia smiled. “Daedalus has been kind to us, Your Majesty. And I do not like you threatening our father.”

“You tell Daedalus,” Minos growled. “You tell him I will hound him even after death! If there is any justice in the Underworld, my soul will haunt him for eternity!”

“Brave words, Your Majesty,” Aelia said. “I wish you like finding your justice in the Underworld.”

And with that, the bronze threads wrapped around Minos’s face, making him a bronze mummy.

The door of the bathhouse opened, and Daedalus stepped in, carrying a traveler’s bag. He’d trimmed his hair short, and his beard was pure white. He looked frail and sad, but he reached down and touched the mummy’s forehead. The threads unraveled and sank to the bottom of the tub. King Minos was not within. He had dissolved into the water.

“A painless death,” Daedalus mused. “More than he deserved. Thank you, my princesses.”

Aelia hugged him. “You cannot stay here, teacher. When our father finds out –”

“Yes,” Daedalus said. “I fear I have brought you trouble.”  
“Oh, do not worry for us. Father will be happy enough taking that old man’s gold. And Crete is a very long way away. But he will blame you for Minos’s death. You must flee somewhere safe.”

“Somewhere safe,” the old man repeated. “For years I have fled from kingdom to kingdom, looking for somewhere safe. I fear Minos told the truth. Death will not stop him from hounding me. There is no place under the sun that will harbor me, once word of this crime gets out.”

“Then where will you go?” Aelia asked.

“A place I swore never to enter again,” Daedalus said. “My prison may be my only sanctuary.”

“I do not understand.” Aelia said.

“It is best you did not.”

“But what of the Underworld?” One sister asked. “Terrible judgement will await you! Every man must die.”

“Perhaps,” Daedalus said. He then brought a scroll from his traveling bag – the same scroll that Perdix had presented him. “Or perhaps not.”

He patted Aelia’s shoulder, then blessed her and her sisters. He looked down once more at the coppery threads that glinted in the bottom of the bath. “Find me if you dare, king of ghosts.”

He turned towards the mosaic wall and touched a tile. A glowing mark appeared – a Greek Delta – and the wall slid aside. The princesses gasped.  
“You never told us of secret passages!” Aelia said. “You have been busy.”

“The  _ Labyrinth  _ has been busy,” Daedalus corrected. “Do not try to follow me, my dears, if you value your sanity.”

The dream shifted. They were now underground in a stone chamber. Luke and another half-blood warrior were studying a map by flashlight. 

Luke cursed. “It should’ve been the last turn.” He crumpled the map and tossed it aside.”

“Sir!” his companion protested.

“Maps are useless here,” Luke said. “Don’t worry. I’ll find it.”

“Sir, is it true that the larger the group –”

“The more likely you’ll get lost? Yes, that’s true. Why do you think we set out solo explorers to begin with? But don’t worry. As soona s we have the thread, we can lead the vanguard through.”

“But how will we  _ get  _ the thread?”

Luke stood, flexing his fingers. “Oh, Quintus will come through. All we have to do is reach the arena, and it’s at a juncture. Impossible to get anywhere without passing it. That’s why we must have a truce with its master. We have to stay alive until –”

“Sir!” A new voice came from the corridor. Another boy in Greek armor ran forth, carrying a torch. “The dracaenae found a half-blood!”  
Look scowled. “Alone? Wandering the maze?”

“Yes, sir! You’d better come quick. They’re in the next chamber. They’ve got him cornered.”

“Who is it?”

“No one I’ve ever seen before, sir.”

Luke nodded. “A blessing from Kronos. We may be able to use this half-blood. Come!”

They ran down the corridor, the Doctor was pulled from the dream.

The next morning, the Doctor checked on Mrs. O’Leary. Percy had asked Beckendorf to keep an eye on her already, but the Doctor just wanted to keep an eye out. Beckendorf was not all that happy about it. 

The Doctor and Percy then hiked over Half-Blood Hill and met Annabeth and Argus on the road. 

“Do you think it’s Nico?” Annabeth asked once Percy had told her all about his dream.

“I don’t know.” The Doctor admitted. “I don’t know.”

It was Saturday, and traffic was heavy going into the city. They arrived at Percy’s apartment around noon. His mum embraced the Doctor at the sight of him. 

“I  _ knew  _ you were all right,” she said. “I  _ told  _ them that. You’re clever, you’d make it back!”

She sat the three down at the kitchen table and insisted on feeding them blue chocolate-chip cookies whilst they caught her up on the quest. The Doctor let Percy tell it, noticing the parts that he chose to water down to decrease the concern.

“So,” Ms. Jackson said when Percy had finished. “You wrecked Alcatraz Island, made Mount St. Helens erupt, and displaced half a million people, but at least you’re safe.”

“Yep.” Percy nodded. “That pretty much covers it.”

“I wish Paul were here,” she said half to herself. “He wanted to talk to you two boys.”

“Oh, right. The school.” Percy said awkwardly. “What did you tell him?”

Percy’s mum shook her head. “What could I say? He knows something is different about you boys. He’s a smart man. He believes you’re not bad people. He doesn’t know what’s going on, but the school is pressuring him. After all, he got you admitted there. He needs to convince them the fire wasn’t your fault. And since you ran away, that looks bad.”

“I’ll take care of it.” The Doctor promised. “When we get back. Promise.”

“And I’ll even tell him the truth if you want.” Percy said.

“You would do that?”

“Well, yeah.” Percy said. “I mean, he’ll think we’re crazy.”

“He already thinks that.”

“Then there’s nothing to lose.” Percy said. “Though, I might leave out the whole alien thing. Sorry, Doctor.”

“Thank you, Percy.” Ms. Jackson smiled. “I’ll tell him you two’ll be home…” she frowned. “When? What happens now?”

Annabeth broke her cookie in half. “The Doctor has this  _ plan. _ ”

The Doctor told her the plan.

“That sounds very dangerous.” She said. “But it might work.”

“You have the same abilities, don’t you?” Percy asked. “You can see through the Mist.”

Ms. Jackson sighed. “Not so much now. When I was younger it was easier. But yes, I’ve always been able to see more than was good for me. It’s one of the things that caught your father’s attention, when we first met. Just be careful. Promise me you’ll be safe.”

“We’ll try, Ms. Jackson,” Annabeth said. “Keeping these boys safe is a big job, though.” She folded her arms and glared out the kitchen window. 

Percy’s mum frowned. “What’s going on with you two? Have you been fighting?”

“I’m gonna go use the telephone in the corridor.” The Doctor hurried from the room. The number was long gone from his hand, but he had it memorized from first look.

They arranged to meet in Times Square. And that’s where they found her. Rachel Elizabeth Dare was standing in front of Marriott Marquis, and she was completely painted gold. Her face, her hair, her clothes, all gold. She was standing like a statue alongside five other kids, all panted metallic like her. They stood frozen in different poses whilst tourists hustle past or stopped to stare. Some passersby threw money at the tarp on the sidewalk.

The sign at Rachel’s feet said, URBAN ART FOR KIDS, DONATIONS APPRECIATED.

The Doctor, Percy, and Annabeth waited for her to move.

“Maybe if we push her over?” Annabeth suggested.

“No, just be patient. She knows we’re here,” The Doctor said, “Look, her irises are directed towards us, when she’s ready, she’ll move.”

After another few minutes, a kid in silver walked up from the hotel cab stand, where he’d been taking a break. He took a pose like he was lecturing the crowd, right beside Rachel. Rachel unfroze and stepped off the tarp.

“Hey! Percy, Doctor, good timing! Let’s get some coffee.”

They walked down to a place called the Java Moose on West 43rd street. Rachel ordered an Espresso Extreme and the Doctor, Percy, and Annabeth got fruit smoothies. They sat at a table beneath a large stuffed moose. No one even looked twice at Rachel in her golden outfit.

“So,” she said. “It’s Annabell, right?”

“Annabeth,” Annabeth corrected. “Do you always dress in gold?”

“Not usually,” Rachel said. “We’re raising money for our group. We do volunteer art projects for elementary kids ‘cause they’re cutting art from the schools, you know?”

“Well, we can't have that.” The Doctor said, adding another on his list of things to do once this was all over.

“We do this once a month, take in about five hundred dollars on a good weekend.” Rachel went on. “But I’m guessing you don’t want to talk about that. You’re a half-blood too?”

“Shhh!” Annabeth said, looking around anxiously. “Just announce it to the world, how about?”

“Okay.” Rachel stood up and said really loudly, “Hey everybody! These three aren’t human! They’re half Greek god!”

Nobody even looked over. Rachel shrugged and sat down. “They don’t seem to care.”

“That’s not funny,” Annabeth said. “This isn’t a joke, mortal girl.”

“Right, Rachel, we need your help.”

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Annabeth.  _ “You  _ need my help?”

Annabeth stirred her straw in her smoothie. “Yeah,” she said sullenly. “Maybe.”

Percy explained about the Labyrinth and how they needed to find Daedalus, and the Doctor explained what they needed Rachel for.

“So you want me to guide you,” she said. “Through a place I’ve never been.”

“You can see through the Mist,” The Doctor said. “Just like Ariadne. You can see the right path, even if you’ve never been. The Labyrinth won’t be able to fool you like it can us.”

“And if you’re wrong?”

“I’m not.” The Doctor said confidently. “But either way, it’ll be dangerous.”

“I could die?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you said monsters don’t care about mortals. Percy’s sword –”

“Celestial bronze doesn’t hurt mortals,” Percy said. “Most monsters would ignore you, but Like…he doesn’t care. He’ll use monsters, demigods, monsters, whatever. And he’ll kill anyone who gets in his way.”

“Nice guy,” Rachel said.

“He’s under the influence of a Titan,” Annabeth said defensively. “He’s been deceived.

Rachel looked between the three. “Okay, I’m in.”

“Are you sure?” The Doctor asked.

“Hey, my summer was going to be boring. This is the best offer I’ve gotten yet. So what do I look for?”

“We have to find an entrance to the Labyrinth,” Annabeth said. “There’s an entrance at Camp Half-Blood, but you can’t go there. It’s off-limits to mortals.”

She spat out the word  _ mortals _ in disgust.

“Oi,” The Doctor hissed at her. “And you wonder why I like mortals more than you lot? Just like the gods, you’re not as high and mighty as you like to believe.”

Annabeth was speechless.

“So…What does an entrance to the Labyrinth look like?” Rachel asked awkwardly.

“It could be anything,” Percy said. “A section of wall, a boulder, a doorway, a sewer entrance. But it would have the mark of Daedalus on it. A Greek Delta, glowing in blue.”

“Like this?” Rachel drew the symbol in water on the table.

“That’s it,” Annabeth said. “You know Greek?”

“No,” Rachel said. She pulled a large blue plastic brush from her pocket and began brushing the gold from her hair. “Let me get changed. You better come with me to the Marriott.”

“Why?” Annabeth asked.

“Because there’s an entrance like that in the hotel basement, where we store our costumes. It’s got the mark of Daedalus.”


	13. Antaeus the Giant

The metal door was half hidden behind a hamper full of dirty hotel towels. 

“It hasn’t been used in a long time,” Annabeth said.

“I tried to open it once,” Rachel said, “Just out of curiosity. It’s rusted shut.”

“No.” Annabeth stepped forth. “It just needs the touch of a half-blood.”

Sure enough, the moment Annabeth put her hand on the mark, it glowed blue. The metal door unsealed and creaked open, revealing a dark staircase leading downwards.

“Wow.” Rachel looked surprisingly calm. She’d changed into a ratty Museum of Modern Art T-shirt and her regular marker-coloured jeans, her blue plastic hairbrush sticking out of her pocket. Her red hair was tied back, but she still had flecks of gold in it, traces of the gold glitter on her face. “So…after you?” She looked to the Doctor.

“You’re the guide,” Annabeth said with her mock politeness. “Lead on.”

The stairs led down to a large brick tunnel. It was so dark that even the Doctor struggled to see, but fortunately, Annabeth had restocked on flashlights. Rachel yelped as soon as they were on.

A skeleton grinned at them. It wasn’t human, as it was at least ten feet tall, but it was humanoid. It had been strung up, chained by its wrists and ankles. A single black eye socket was in the center of the skull.

“A Cyclops.” Annabeth was the first person to say it.

“It’s old,” The Doctor said, “At least a couple hundred years, not anyone we know.”

“You have a friend who’s a Cyclops?” Rachel swallowed.

“Tyson,” Percy said. “My half-brother.”

“Your  _ half-brother?”  _

“Hopefully we’ll find him down here,” Percy said. “And Grover, he’s a satyr.”

“Oh.” Rachel’s voice was small. “Well then, we’d better keep moving.”

She stepped under the skeleton’s left arm and kept walking. The three others followed.

They quickly came to a crossroads. Ahead, a brick tunnel continued. To the right, walls made of ancient marble slabs, and to the left, dirt and tree roots.

Percy pointed left. “That looks like the tunnel Tyson and Grover took.”

Annabeth frowned. “Yeah, but the architecture to the right – those old stones – that’s more likely to lead to an ancient part of the maz, towards Daedalus’s workshop.”

“Rachel,” The Doctor said. “What do you think?”

“I think we need to go straight.” Rachel said. 

Annabeth stared. “That’s the least likely choice.”

“You don’t see it?” Rachel asked. “Look at the floor?”

The Doctor looked down. He saw nothing but well-worn bricks and mud.

“There’s a brightness there,” Rachel insisted. “Very faint. But forward is the correct way. To the left, farther down the tunnel, those tree roots are moving like feelers. I don’t like that. To the right, there’s a trap about twenty feet down. Holes in the walls, maybe for spikes. I don’t think we should risk it.”

“Right, forwards it is.” The Doctor grinned.

“You believe her?” Annabeth demanded.

“Annabeth Chase –”

“Guys…um…we should keep going…” Percy said awkwardly.

“There are no traps this way,” Rachel said, and so they went forth.

“So, Rachel,” Annabeth said as they walked, “Where are you from, exactly?”

“Brooklyn.” Rachel said.

“Aren’t your parents going to be worried if you’re out late?”

Rachel exhaled. “Not likely. I could be gone for a week and they’d never notice.”

“Why not?” This time, Annabeth didn’t sound so sarcastic. Family problems was something she could relate to and understand.

Before Rachel could answer, there was a creaking noise in front of them, like large doors opening.

“What was that?” Annabeth asked.

“I don’t know,” Rachel said. “Metal hinges?”

“Oh, that’s very helpful. I mean,  _ what is it?” _

Then the Doctor heard heavy footsteps shaking the corridor – coming towards them.

“Run!” The Doctor gave a manic grin, and they were off.

They didn’t make it ten meters before they ran directly into some familiar faces: two dracaenae in Greek armor, and between them, Kelli, the empousa cheerleader.

“Well, well,” Kelli said.

Percy uncapped Riptide, Annabeth pulled out her knife, but they didn’t have time to do anything before Kelli pounced on Rachel. Her hand turned into a claw and she spun Rachel around, holding her tight with her talons at Rachel’s neck.

“Taking your little mortal pet for a walk?” Kelli asked. “They’re such fragile things. So easy to break!”

From behind, a large form appeared from the gloom – an eight foot Laistrygonian with red eyes and fangs. “Can I eat them?”

“No,” Kelli said. “Your master will want these. They will provide a great deal of entertainment.” She smiled. “Now march, half-bloods. Or you all die here, starting with the mortal girl.”

Yeah, this wasn’t good. The Doctor, Percy, Annabeth, and Rachel were marched down the tunnel, flanked by dracaenae, with Kelli and the Laistrygonian in the back. Up ahead, there were bronze doors, about ten feet tall, emblazoned with a pair of crossed swords. From behind came a muffled roar from a crowd.

“Oh, yesssss,” said the dracaenae on the left. “You’ll be very popular with our hossssst.”

“Your host?” Percy asked.

“Oh, you’ll sssssee. You’ll get along famoussly. He’ssss your brother, after all.”

“My what?” It couldn’t be Tyson…

The Laistrygonian pushed past them and opened the doors. He picked Annabeth and the Doctor up by their shirts. “You stay here.”

“Oi!”

Kelli laughed. She still had her claws at Rachel’s neck. “Go on, Percy. Entertain us. We’ll wait here with your friends to make sure you behave.”

The Doctor could only watch as the dracaenae prodded Percy towards the doorway at javelin-point, and he walked out into the floor of the arena.

The arena wasn’t particularly spacious, and the floors were made from dirt. In the center of the arena, a fight was in progress between a giant and a centaur. The centaur looked panicked, galloping around his enemy, using sword and shield, whilst the giant swung a javelin the size of a telephone pole and the crowd cheered.

The first tier of seats was three and a half meters above the arena floor. Plain stone benches wrapped all the way around and every seat was full. There were giants, dracaenae, demigods, Telkhines, and loads of others. But the creepiest things were the skulls. The arena was full of them, and they ringed the edge of the railing. One meter tall piles of them decorated the steps between the benches. They grinned from pikes at the back stands and hung chains from the ceiling. Some of them looked very old with bleached white bones, others a lot fresher. A  _ lot  _ fresher.

In the middle, proudly displayed on the side of the spectator’s wall, was a large green banner with the trident of Poseidon in the center. Above the banner, sitting in the seat of honour, was Luke.

Luke was smiling coldly at Percy. He wore camouflage pants, a white T-shirt, and bronze breastplate. But he wasn’t wearing his sword, which was interesting. Beside him sat a massive giant, about fifteen feet tall. He wore only a loincloth and his skin was dark red and tattooed with blue wave designs.

There was a cry from the arena floor, and the centaur came crashing into the dirt beside Percy. He met the boy’s eyes.

“Help!”

Percy reached for his pocket, but it seemed that Riptide had yet to reappear in his pocket.

The centaur struggled to get up as the giant approached, his javelin ready.

The dracaenae guard gripped Percy’s shoulder. “If you value your friendsss’ livesss, you won’t interfere. This isssn’t your fight. Wait your turn.”

The centaur couldn’t rise, as one of his legs were very clearly broken. The giant put his large foot on the horseman’s chest and raised the javelin. He looked up at Luke. The crowd cheered. “DEATH! DEATH!”

Luke did nothing, but the giant next to him rose, smiling down at the pleading centaur beneath him.

“Please! No!”

The giant held out his hand and gave a thumbs down.

The Doctor could only watch in horror as the gladiator giant thrust his javelin into the centaur. He cried out in pain and disintegrated into dust. All that was left was a single hoof, which the giant took up as a trophy and showed the crowd, who roared their approval.

A gate opened at the opposite end of the stadium, and the giant marched over in triumph.

In the stands, the larger giant raised his hands for silence.

“Good entertainment!” He bellowed. “But nothing I haven’t seen before. What else do you have, Luke, Son of Hermes?”

Luke’s jaw tightened. He clearly did  _ not  _ like being refered to as the son of his father. Yet he rose calmly, his eyes glittering.

“Lord Antaeus,” He said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. “You have been an excellent host! We would be happy to amuse you, to repay the favour of passing through your territory.”

“A favour I have not yet granted,” Antaeus growled. “I want entertainment!”

Luke bowed. “I believe I have something better than centaurs to fight in your arena now. I have a brother of yours.” He pointed towards Percy. “Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon.”

The crowd began jeering and throwing stones at the boy. He dodged most of them, but one caught him on the cheek, making a decent-sized cut.

Antaeus’s eyes lit up. “A son of Poseidon? Then he should fight well! Or die well!”

“If his death pleases you,” Luke said, “Will you let our armies cross your territory?”

“Perhaps!” Antaeus said.

Luke didn’t look too pleased about the ‘perhaps’. He glared down at Percy.

“Luke!” Annabeth yelled. “Stop this. Let us go!”

Luke seemed to notice her for the first time, looking momentarily stunned. “Annabeth?”

“Enough time for the females to fight afterward,” Antaeus interrupted. “First, Percy Jackson, what weapons will you choose?”

The dracaenae pushed Percy forth into the middle of the arena. He stared up at Antaeus. “How can you be a son of Poseidon?”

Antaeus laughed, as did the rest of the crowd. “I am his favorite son! Behold, my temple to the Earthshaker, built from the skulls of all those I’ve killed in his name! Yoru skull shall join them!”

This was very not good.

“Percy!” Annabeth yelled. “His mother is Gaia! Gai –”

The Laistrygonian shifted the Doctor into the hand she was in and clamped his other hand over both of their mouths.

“You’re crazy, Antaeus,” Percy said. “If you think this is a good tribute, you know nothing about Poseidon.”

The crowd screamed insults at him, but Antaeus raised his hand for silence.

“Weapons,” he insisted. “And then we will see how you die. Will you have axes? Shields? Nets? Flamethrowers?”

“Just my sword.” Percy said. 

Laughter erupted from the monsters, but Riptide immediately appeared in his hands. Some of the voices in the crowd sounded nervous. The bronze blade glowed with a faint light.

“Round one!” Antaeus announced. The gates opened and a dracaenae slithered out. She had a trident in one hand and a weighted net in the other.

She jabbed at Percy experimentally. Percy stepped away, but she threw her net, hoping to tangle the boy’s sword hand, but he easily sidestepped and sliced her pear in half, stabbing Riptide through a chink in her armor. With a painful wail, she vaporized into nothing, and the cheering of the crowd died.

“No!” Antaeus bellowed. “Too fast! You must wait for the kill. Only I give that order!”

“Nice job, Percy.” Luke smiled. “You’ve gotten better with the sword, I’ll grant you that.”

“Round two!” Antaeus yelled. “And slower this time! More entertainment! Wait for my call before killing anybody, OR ELSE!”

The gates opened once more, and this time a young warrior came out. He was maybe sixteen with glossy black hair and his left eye was covered with an eyepatch. He was thin, and clearly recently so, as his once-fitting armor hung off him loosely. He stabbed his sword into the dirt, adjusted his shield straps, and pulled on his horsehair helmet.

“Who are you?” Percy asked him.

“Ethan Nakamura,” he said. “I have to kill you.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Hey!” A monster jeered from the stands. “Stop talking and fight already!” The others took up the call.

“I have to prove myself,” Ethan said. “Only way to join up.”

Ethan charged, his sword meeting Percy’s. The crowd roared.

Percy struck, Ethan parried and tried to slam Percy with his shield, but Percy jumped back and rolled to one side as Ethan slashed. They exchanged thrusts and parries, getting a feel for each others’ fighting style. 

“Blood!” The monsters cried.

Ethan glanced at the stands, yelling an angry battle cry, and charged. But Percy parried his blade and back away, letting him chase him. Clever, clever boy, Percy was using Ethan’s need to impress to his advantage.

“Booo!” Antaeus said. “Stand and fight!”

Ethan pressed Percy, but he had no trouble defending, even without a shield. Ethan was dressed for defense with heavy armor and a shield, but he was playing offense. Percy may have been a softer target, but he was also lighter and faster,  _ perfect  _ for offense. The crowd went mad, yelling complaints and throwing rocks. They’d been fighting for four minutes and forty-three seconds without drawing blood.

Finally, Ethan made his mistake. He tried to jab at Percy’s stomach, and so Percy locked his sword hilt in his own and twisted. His sword dropped into the dirt. Before he could recover, Percy slammed the butt of his sword into his helmet and pushed him down. His heavy armor helped, and Ethan fell on his back, dazed and tired. Percy put the tip of his sword on his opponent’s chest.

“Get it over with,” Ethan groaned.

Percy looked up at Antaeus. His red face was stony with displeasure, but he held up his hand and put the thumbs down.

“Forget it.” Percy sheathed his sword.

“Don’t be a fool,” Ethan groaned. “They’ll just kill us both.”

Percy offered him his hand. Reluctantly, Ethan took it, and Percy helped him up.

“No one dishonors the games!” Antaeus bellowed. “Your heads shall both be tributes to Poseidon!”

The Doctor watched Percy look at Ethan. “When you see your chance, run.”

He turned back to Antaeus. “Why don’t you fight me yourself? If you’ve got Dad’s favour, come down here and prove it!”

The monsters grumbled in the stands. Antaeus looked around, and apparently realized he had no choice. He couldn’t say no without looking like a coward.

“I am the greatest wrestler in the world, boy.” He warned. “I have been wrestling since the first pankration!”

“Pankration?” Percy asked.

“He means fighting to the death,” Ethan said. “No rules. No holds barred. It used to be an Olympic sport.”

“Thanks for the tip.” Percy said.

“Don’t mention it.”

Annabeth looked horrified with Percy, but he had a plan. He must have…

Percy pointed his sword to Antaeus. “Winner takes all! I win, we all go free. You win, we die. Swear upon the River Styx.”

“Antaeus laughed. “This shouldn’t take long. I swear to your terms!”

He leapt over the railing and into the arena.

“Good luck,” Ethan said. “You’ll need it.” He backed up quickly.

Antaeus cracked his knuckles, grinning. “Weapons?”

“I’ll stick with my sword.” Percy said. “You?”

He held up his large hands and wiggled his fingers. “I don’t need anything else! Master Luke, you will referee this one.”

Luke smiled down. “With pleasure.”

Antaeus lunged. Percy rolled under his legs and stabbed him in the back of his thigh. A strong start.

“Arggh!” Antaeus yelled, but where blood should have come out, came a spout of sand. The dirt then collected around his leg like a cast, and when the dirt fell away, the wound was gone.

The giant charged again, Percy dodged sideways, this time stabbing him under the arm. Riptide’s blade was buried in the hilt of his ribs. It was then wrenched from his hands and thrown across the arena.

Antaeus bellowed in pain, but Antaeus groped for the hilt and removed the sword, tossing it behind him. Once again, sand spilled from the wound and dirt healed it.

“Now you see why I never lose, demigod!” Antaeus gloated. “Come here and let me crush you. I’ll make it quick!”

Percy glanced to either side, the Doctor watched him catch Annabeth’s eye. He tried to skirt around the giant, but Antaeus anticipated Percy’s move, blocking his path and chuckling. Percy was cornered.

Percy feinted to the other side. Antaeus blocked him, but the crowd jeered and screamed at Antaeus to finish him off, but the giant was having so much fun.

“Puny boy,” he said. “Not a worthy son of the sea god!”

Percy charged directly ahead, crouching low, he looked to be about to roll between the giant’s legs again. Whilst the giant was stooping, ready to catch Percy, the boy jumped, kicking off his forearm, scrambling up his shoulder and placing his shoe on his head.

Antaeus straightened up and yelled, “HEY!”

Percy pushed off, using the giant’s force to catapult him towards the ceiling. He caught the top of a chain, and the skulls and hooks jangled beneath him. He wrapped his legs around the chain, drew Riptide, and sawed off the chain beside him.

“Come down here, coward!” Antaeus bellowed. He tried to grab at Percy, but he was just out of reach, hanging tediously. 

“Come up and get me!” Percy yelled back. “Or are you too slow and fat?”

Antaeus howled and made another grab for the half-blood. He caught a chain and tried to pull himself up, but whilst he was struggling, Percy lowered his sawed-off chain, hook first. It took him two tries, but he finally snagged Antaeus’s loincloth. A truly bold move.

“WAAA!” He yelled. Quickly, Percy slipped the free chain through the fastening link in his own, and pulled it taught, securing it firmly. Antaeus tried to slip back to the ground, but he stayed suspended by his loincloth. He had to hold on to the other chains with both his hands to avoid getting flipped upside down. Percy scrambled around the chains, swinging and cutting, making loops with hooks and metal links. Within a couple minutes, the giant was suspended above the ground, hopelessly snarled in chains and hooks.

Percy dropped to the floor, panting and sweaty. 

“Get me down!” Antaeus demanded.

“Free him!” Luke ordered. “He is our host!”

Percy uncapped Riptide. “I’ll free him.” He stabbed the giant in the stomach. He bellowed, and sand poured out, but he was too far up to touch the earth, and the dirt did not rise to help him. Antaeus dissolved, pouring out bit by bit until there was nothing left but empty swinging chains.

“Jackson!” Luke yelled. “I should have killed you long ago!”

“You tried,” Percy reminded him. “Let us go, Luke. We had a sworn agreement with Antaeus. I’m the winner.”

“Antaeus is dead.” Luke said. “His oath dies with him. But since I’m feeling merciful today, I’ll have you killed quickly.”

He pointed to the Laistrygonian holding the Doctor and Annabeth. “Kill the boy, spare the girl.” His voice quivered slightly. “I would speak to her before – before our great triumph.”

The Doctor felt something in his pocket, a freezing sensation that was getting colder and colder. The dog whistle. He didn’t dare wait a moment longer, pressing it to his lips. It made no audible sound as it shattered into shards of ice, melting into his hands. He really hoped it worked.

He got his answer when the Laistrygonian gave a yelp of surprise, dropping the Doctor and Annabeth, and a large dog flew past them and smashed into the wall.

_ “AROOOOF!”  _

Kelli screamed as a thirty-five and a half stone hellhound picked her up like a chew toy and tossed her through the air, directly into Luke’s lap. Mrs. O’Leary snarled. The two dracaenae guards backed away.

“Right, Allons-y!” The Doctor grinned to his companions. “Heel, Mrs. O’Leary! Thanks for the help!”

“The far exit!” Rachel cried. “That’s the right way!”

Ethan Nakamura took his cue, and he, the Doctor, Percy, Annabeth, and Rachel sprinted across the arena and out the far exit, Mrs. O’Leary right behind them.

As they ran, the Doctor could hear the disorganized sounds of an entire army trying and failing to jump from the stands and follow them.


	14. Daedalus's Workshop

“This way!” Rachel yelled.

“Why should we follow you?” Annabeth demanded.

“Annabeth, if we have to go through this one more time –” The Doctor said.

“She led us straight into that death trap!” Annabeth argued.

“It was the way you needed to go,” Rachel said. “And so is this. Come on!”

Annabeth didn’t look all that happy about it, but she ran along with the rest of them. Rachel seemed to know exactly where she was going. She whipped around corners and didn’t hesitate for a moment at the crossroads. Once she said, “Duck!” And they all crouched as a large axe swung over their heads. They kept on as if nothing had happened.

They didn’t stop to rest until they came to a large room with old marble columns holding up the roof. There was no sound of pursuit. It seemed that they lost Luke and his minions in the maze. Mrs. O’Leary was gone too.

Ethan collapsed on the floor. “You people are crazy.” He pulled off his helmet, his face gleaming with sweat. 

Annabeth gasped. “I remember you! You were one of the undetermined kids in the Hermes cabin, years ago.”

He glared at her. “Yeah, and you’re Annabeth. I remember.”

“What – what happened to your eye?” Percy asked.

Ethan looked away, it was clearly a subject that was off-limits.

“You must be the half-blood from my dream,” Percy said. “The one Luke’s people cornered. It wasn’t Nico after all.”

“Who’s Nico?”

“Nevermind,” Annabeth said quickly. “Why were you trying to join up with the wrong side?”

Ethan sneered. “There’s no right side. The gods never cared about us. Why shouldn’t I –”

“Sign up with an army that makes you fight to the death for entertainment?” Annabeth said. “Gee, I wonder.”

“Ethan,” The Doctor said softly, “I know it feels as though they don’t care, and maybe they don’t, but do not underestimate your own power. You have the power to create and destroy, maybe more so than the gods themselves. If you are unsatisfied with your options, make your own.”

Ethan stared at him. “The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Look, we’re going after Daedalus,” Percy said. “You can come with us, and once we get through, you’d be welcome back at camp.”

“You really  _ are  _ crazy if you think Daedalus will help you.” Ethan said.

“He has to,” Annabeth said. “We’ll make him listen.”

Ethan snorted. “Yeah, well. Good luck with that.”

Percy grabbed his arm. “You’re just going to head off alone into the maze? That’s suicide.”

He looked at Percy, barely containing his nager. His eyepatch was frayed around the edges, and the block cloth was faded. “You shouldn’t have spared me, Jackson. Mercy has no place in this war.”

He then ran off into the darkness, back the way they’d come.

The Doctor found some scrap wood and started a fire. The Doctor, Percy, Annabeth, and Rachel sat around it tiredly.

“Something was wrong with Luke,” Annabeth muttered, poking at the fire with her knife. “Did you notice the way he was acting?”

“He looked pretty pleased to me,” Percy said. “Like he’d spent a nice day torturing heroes.”

“That’s not true!” Annabeth insisted. “There was something wrong with him. He looked…nervous. He told his monsters to spare me. He wanted to tell me something.”

“Probably,  _ ‘Hi, Annabeth! Sit here with me and watch while I tear your friends apart. It’ll be fun!’” _

“You’re impossible,” Annabeth grumbled, sheathing her dagger and looking at Rachel. “So which way now, Sacagawea?”

Rachel didn’t respond immediately. She’d quieted significantly since the arena. She burned the top of a stick in the fire and was using it to draw ash figures on the floor, images of the monsters they’d seen. With a few strokes, she caught the likeness of a dracaenae perfectly. 

“We’ll follow the path,” she said. “The brightness on the floor.”

“The brightness that led us straight into –” she looked at the Doctor. “Nevermind. The fire’s getting low. I’ll go look for some more scraps while you guys talk strategy.” She marched off into the shadows.

“Annabeth's not usually like this,” Percy promised Rachel. “I don’t know what her problem is.”

“Percy, you should go after her.” Rachel said. “You boys are totally blind.” 

Percy nodded awkwardly, and hurried off after Annabeth, leaving the Doctor and Rachel alone.

“How are you feeling?”

She sighed. “I’m scared, man. This was – I thought Percy was gonna die – I thought _I_ was gonna die…”

The Doctor hummed understandingly. 

“So, you guys do this every summer?” Rachel asked after a long moment. “Fight monsters? Save the world? Don’t you ever get to do just, you know, normal stuff?”

“Oh, I don’t like normal.” The Doctor said. “Don’t have the patience for the long way ‘round, I suppose. Comes with the whole time travel thing, I suppose.”

“Wait, time travel?”

“Yeah, alien, remember?”

“Yeah, but like, that’s just space.” She said. “You can travel through time?”

“Yep.” The Doctor grinned, popping the ‘p’. “I’ve got this ship, see. She’s called the TARDIS. I travel through time and space, saving planets, fixing timelines, you know.”

“Woah. That’s incredible.” Rachel breathed. “We humans must seem so boring.”

“Nah, you lot are one of my favorites.” The Doctor smiled reassuringly. “And you’re anything but boring. You have such fleeting lives, yet fill them with things like birthdays and quinceaneras. It’s brilliant, it is.”

“You’ve never had a birthday?”

“Not what I expected you to get out of that, but no, I suppose not.”

“Why?”

“Just not really a big deal on my planet.” The Doctor shrugged. “When you live long enough, age doesn’t really matter.”

“How old are you?”

“Nine hundred something.” The Doctor rubbed his weary eyes, “Though I think I may be lying, I can’t remember.”

“You can’t remember if you’re lying or not?”

“Either way, I’m old Rachel.” He said, then mumbled to himself, “Sometimes I think I’m too old.”

“That’s…that’s sad…”

“So what do you do, then? For entertainment?”

Rachel shrugged. “I paint. I read a lot.”

“You mentioned your family earlier…”

“Oh…they’re just, you know, family.” The Doctor nodded. She clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

“You should get some rest.” The Doctor finally said.

“Oh…okay.” Rachel nodded, curling up and using her backpack as a pillow.

A few minutes later, Annabeth and Percy came back, tossing some more stokes on the fire. She and Percy closed their eyes. The Doctor stared into the darkness.

In Percy’s dreams that night, the Doctor heard laughter. Cold, harsh, laughter.

They were standing at the edge of a pit in the depths of Tartarus. Below, the darkness seethed.

“So close to your own destruction, little hero,” Kronos chided. “And still you are blind.”

His voice was sounding almost physical now.

“I have much to thank you for,” Kronos said. “You have assured my rise.”

The shadows in the cavern became deeper and heavier.

“A favour,” Kronos said. “The Titan lord always pays his debts. Perhaps a glimpse of the friends you abandoned…”

The darkness rippled and they were in a different cave.

“Hurry!” Tyson said. He came barreling into the room. Grover stumbled along behind him. There was a rumbling in the corridor they’d come from, and the head of a massive serpent burst into the cave. 

It lashed at Grover, but the satyr scampered out of the way and the serpent got a mouthful of dirt. Tyson picked up a boulder and threw it at the reptile, smacking it between the eyes, but the serpent just recoiled and hissed.

“It’s going to eat you!” Grover yelled at Tyson.

“How do you know?”

“It just told me! Run!”

Tyson darted to one side, but the serpent used her head like a club and knocked him off his feet.

“No!” Grover yelled. But before Tyson could regain his balance, the serpent wrapped around him and began to constrict.

Tyson strained, pushing with all his strength, but the serpent squeezed tighter. Grover frantically hit her with his reed pipes, but it did nothing.

The entire room shook as the serpent flexed its muscles, shuddering to overcome Tyson’s strength.

Grover began to play his pipes, and the stalactites rained down from the ceiling. The entire cave seemed to be about to collapse.

The Doctor pulled himself from the dream, sensing something wrong in the physical world. 

Annabeth was up as well. 

“Tyson –” Percy said. “Tyson’s in trouble! We have to help him!”

“First thing’s first,” she said. “Earthquake!”

Sure enough, the earth beneath them was rumbling.

“Rachel!” The Doctor yelled. Her eyes were open instantly.

Grabbing their rucksacks, the four of them ran. They were nearly to the far tunnel when a column beside them groaned and buckled. They kept forth as hundreds of tons of marble crashed down behind them.

They made it to another corridor and turned just in time to see the other columns toppling down. A cloud of white dust billowed over them. They kept running.

“You know what?” Annabeth said. “I like this way after all.”

It wasn’t long before they saw light up ahead.

“There.” Rachel said.

They followed her into a stainless steel corridor. Fluorescent lights glowed from the ceiling. The floor was a metal grate.

“This way,” Rachel began to run. “We’re close!”

“This is so wrong!” Annabeth cried. “The workshop should be in the oldest section of the maze. This can’t –”

Annabeth faltered. They had arrived at a set of metal doors, inscribed with steel, at eye level, was a large blue Greek Delta.

“We’re here,” Rachel announced. “Daedalus’s workshop.”

Annabeth pressed the symbol on the doors and they hissed open.

“So much for ancient architecture.” Percy said.

Annabeth scowled, and the four of them walked inside.

The workshop was like an artist’s studio, with ten meter ceilings and industrial lighting, polished stone floors, and workbenches along with windows. A spiral staircase led up to a second story loft. Half a dozen easels displayed hand-drawn diagrams for buildings and machines. Several laptop computers were scattered around on the tables. Glass jars of green oil – Greek fire – lined one shelf. The room was covered in inventions.

_ “Di immortals,”  _ Annabeth muttered, running to the nearest easel, looking at the sketch. “He’s a genius. Look at the curves on this building!”

“And an artist,” Rachel said in amazement. “These wings are amazing!”

The wings looked to be more advanced than the ones from Percy’s dreams. The feathers were more tightly interwoven. Instead of wax seals, self-adhesive strips ran down the sides.

Percy walked to the window to check the view outside. “Where are we?”

“Colorado Springs,” a voice behind them said. “The Garden of the gods.”

Standing on the spiral staircase above them, with his weapon drawn, was Quintus.

“You,” Annabeth said. “What have you done with Daedalus?”

“Annabeth,” The Doctor said suddenly. “No, Quintus, I know who you are. That tattoo! I saw it earlier, the partridge! I know where I know it from!”

“Clever boy.” Quintus said begrudgingly.

“Doctor, what do you mean?” Annabeth asked.

“Annabeth,  _ this  _ is Daedalus.”

“But that’s impossible,” Percy said, “I saw him in my dream, and…”

“Yes,” Quintus said. “You’ve finally guessed the truth.”

“You’re an automaton.” Percy realized. “You made yourself a new body.”

“You’re brilliant.” The Doctor said in disappointment. “But you haven’t a clue what you’re doing.”

“Oh what would you know,  _ boy. _ ” The Doctor scoffed.

“And Quintus, that’s latin for five. You’re on your fifth body.”

“Yes.” The swordsman held out his forearm. He pressed his elbow, and part of his wrist popped open, revealing bronze gears and wires.

“That’s amazing!” Rachel said.

“That’s weird,” Percy said.

“You found a way to transfer your animus into a machine?” Annabeth said. “That’s…not natural.”

“Oh, I assure you, my dear, it’s still me. I’m still very much Daedalus. Our mother, Athena, makes sure I never forget that.” He tugged back the collar of his shirt, revealing the partridge tattoo.

“A murderer’s brand.” The Doctor said. “For Perdix.”

Quintus’s face darkened. “I did not murder the boy. I simply –”

“No, you did.” The Doctor said coldly, “You made him loose his balance, knowing exactly what would happen. It was intentional, Daedalus. You killed him.”

Quintus gazed out the windows at the purple Colorado mountains. “I regret what I did, Doctor. I was angry and bitter. But I cannot take it back, and Athena never lets me forget. As Perdix died, she turned him into a small bird – a partridge. She branded the bird’s shape on my neck as a reminder. No matter what body I take, the brand appears on my skin.”  
“He’ll follow you forever.” The Doctor said knowingly. “Even without the partridge, I don’t think you’d ever be able to escape your past.”

Daedalus hummed in sad agreement.

“Why did you come to camp?” Percy asked. “Why spy on us?”

“To see if your camp was worth saving. Luke had given me one story. I preferred to come to my own conclusions.”

“So you  _ have  _ talked to Luke.”

“Oh, yes. Several times. He is quite persuasive.”

“But now you’ve seen the camp!” Annabeth persisted. “So you know we need your help. You can’t let Luke through the maze!”

Daedalus set his sword on the workbench. “The maze is no longer mine to control, Annabeth. I created it, yes. In fact, it is tied to my life force. But I have allowed it to live and grow on its own. That is the price I paid for privacy.”

“Privacy from what?” Percy asked.

“The gods,” he said. “And death. I have been alive for two millennia, my dear, hiding from death.”

“But how can you hide from Hades?” Percy asked. “I mean…Hades has the Furies.”

“They do not know everything,” Daedalus said. “Or see everything. You have encountered them, Percy. You know this is true. A clever man can hide quite a long time, and I have buried myself very deep. Only my greatest enemy has kept after me, and even him I have thwarted.”

“You mean Minos.” Percy said.

Daedalus nodded. “He hunts for me relentlessly. Now that he is a judge of the dead, he would like nothing better than for me to come before him so he can punish me for my crimes. After the daughters of Cocalus killed him, Minos’s ghost began torturing me in my dreams. He promised that he would hunt me down. I did the only thing I could. I retreated from the world completely. I descended into my Labyrinth. I decided this would be my ultimate accomplishment. I would cheat death.”

“And you did,” Annabeth marveled, “For two thousand years.”

Just then there was a loud bark that echoed from the corridor. There was the thumping of large paws, and Mrs. O’Leary bounded into the workshop. She licked the Doctor’s face, then nearly knocked Daedalus over with an enthusiastic leap.

“There is my old friend!” Daedalus said, scratching her behind the ears. “My only companion all these long lonely years.”

“You let her save us.” Percy said. “That whistle you gave the Doctor, it actually worked.”

Daedalus nodded. “Of course it did.” He smiled sourly. “Perhaps I wanted to help you. Perhaps I – I felt guilty, as well.”

“Guilty about what?” Percy asked.

“That your quest would be in vain.”

“What?” Annabeth said. “But you can still help us! You have to! Give us Ariadne’s string so Luke can’t get it.”

“Yes…the string. I told Luke that the eyes of a clear-sighted mortal are the best guide, but he did not trust me. He was so focused on the idea of a magic item. And the string works. It’s not as accurate as your mortal friend here, perhaps. But good enough. Good enough.”

“Where is it?” Annabeth asked.

“With Luke,” Daedalus said sadly. “I’m sorry, my dear. But you are several hours too late.”

“Kronos promised me freedom,” Daedalus said. “Once Hades is overthrown, he will set me over the Underworld. I will reclaim my son Icarus. I will make things right with poor young Perdix. I will see Minos’s soul cast into Tartarus, where it cannot both me again. And I will no longer have to run from death.”

The Doctor laughed coldly.

“You still don’t understand, Daedalus. No one wants to live forever. That’s what amuses me with gods. They’re so focused on being high and mighty and immortal. But the world is…the world is messy. And one day, you get tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of living. And then what will you have? When will you lot learn? You can’t take back what you’ve lost, and you can’t fix the mistakes you’ve made in the past, but you can redeem yourself by doing good in the future. By doing right.”

Suddenly, Mrs. O’Leary pricked up her ears.

“Someone’s coming!” Rachel warned.

The doors of the workshop burst open, and Nico was pushed inside, his hands in chains. Then Kelli and two Laistrygonians marched in behind him, followed by the ghost of Minos, looking almost solid now. 

“There you are, my old friend.” Minos said.

“What is the meaning of this?” Daedalus demanded.

“Luke sends his compliments,” Kelli said. “He thought you might like to see your old employer, Minos.”

“This was not part of our agreement,” Daedalus said.

“No indeed,” Kelli said. “But we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honour. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod.” She ran a finger under Nico’s chin. “He’ll be quite useful. And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man.”

Daedalus paled. “Treachery.”

“Get used to it.” Kelli said.

“Nico, you all right?” The Doctor asked.

He nodded. “I – I’m sorry. Minos told me you guys were in danger. He convinced me to come find you.”

“You were trying to  _ help  _ us?” Percy asked.

“I was tricked,” He said. “He tricked all of us.”

Percy glared at Kelli. “Where’s Luke? Why isn’t he here?”

The empousa smiled evilly. “Luke is…busy. He is preparing for the assault. But don’t worry. We have more friends on the way. And in the meantime, I think I’ll have a wonderful snack!” Her hands changed to claws, her hair burst into flame, and her legs turned into her true form – one donkey leg and one bronze one.

“Percy,” Rachel whispered, “the wings. Do you think –”

“Get them,” Percy said. “I’ll try to buy you some time.”

All hell broke loose.

Annabeth and Percy charged at Kelli, the Laistrygonians came right at Daedalus, but Mrs. O’Leary jumped to his defence. Nico got pushed to the ground and struggled with his chains, whilst the Doctor grabbed his Sonic to help the boy.

Rachel grabbed the wings from the wall. No one seemed to pay her any attention. Kelli slashed at Annabeth, Percy tried to get to her, but the demon turned over tables and smashed inventions, not letting them get close. The Doctor was still freeing Nico from his chains, and Mrs. O’Leary was chomping her fangs into a Laistrygonian’s arm. He wailed in pain and flung her around, trying to shake her. Daedalus grabbed for his sword, but the second Laistrygonian smashed the workbench with his fist, and the sword went flying. A clay jar of Greek fire broke on the floor and began to burn, green flames spreading quickly.

“To me!” Minos cried. “Spirits of the dead!” He raised his ghostly hands and the air began to humm.

“No!” Nico cried. He was on his feet now, finally freed from his shackles.

“You do not control me, young fool.” Minos sneered. “All this time, I have been controlling you! A soul for a soul, yes. But it is not your sister who will return from the dead. It is I, as soon as I slay the inventor!”

Spirits began to appear around Minos – shimmering forms that slowly multiplied, solidifying into Cretan soldiers.

“I am the son of Hades,” Nico insisted. “Be gone!”

Minos laughed. “You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!”

“No.” Nico drew his sword. “ _ I  _ am.”

He stabbed his black blade into the floor, and it smoothly cleaved through the stone.

“Never!” Minos’s form rippled. “I will not –”

The ground rumbled. The windows cracked and shattered to pieces, allowing in a blast of fresh air. A fissure opened in the stone floor of the workshop, and Minos and all his spirits were sucked into the void with a horrible wail.

Kelli then pounced on a distracted Percy. His sword skittered away from him. Kelli laughed.

“You will taste wonderful!”

She bared her fangs, and then Annabeth was there, a knife Kelli’s back.

Kelli’s eyes widened and she gasped. “No…school…spirit…”

With an awful screech, Kelli dissolved into yellow vapour.

Rachel grabbed the Doctor, beginning to fit him with wings. In looking around, he saw that she was already fitted with her own, as was Nico beside her. He looked pale, sweaty, and anxious.

“Percy! Get over here!” Rachel called.

The Doctor fitted Percy, who fitted Annabeth, whilst Rachel fitted him.

In seconds, Nico, Annabeth, Rachel, Percy, and the Doctor were fitted with the coppery wings. The Doctor could already feel himself being lifted by the wind coming through the window. Greek fire was burning the tables and furniture, spreading up the circular stairs.

“Daedalus!” Percy yelled. “Come on!”

He was cut in loads of places, but he was bleeding golden oil rather than blood. He’d found his sword and was using part of a smashed table as a shield against the Laistrygonians. “I won’t leave Mrs. O’Leary!” he said. “Go!”

There wasn’t time to argue. 

“None of us know how to fly!” Nico protested.

“Brilliant time to learn, then!” The Doctor gave a manic grin, “Allons-y!”

He jumped from the window and into the open sky, Percy, Annabeth, Nico, and Rachel right behind.


	15. Rise of the Titan Lord

The Doctor plummeted down, then spread his arms, allowing him to glide and soar smoothly. He must admit, Daedalus was a good inventor.

“We need to land!” Annabeth said, once they’d all managed to get close enough to each other, “These wings won’t last forever.”

“How long?” Rachel asked.

“I don’t want to find out!” Annabeth said.

They swooped down towards the Garden of the gods, and then the five of them soared across the valley, over a road, and landed on the terrace of the visitor center. It was late afternoon, so the place was relatively empty, but they ripped off their wings as quickly as they could.

The Doctor looked up at the hill where Daedalus’s workshop had been, but it had vanished. No smoke, no broken windows, just the side of a hill.

“The workshop moved,” Annabeth guessed. “There's no telling where.”

“So what do we do now?” Percy asked. “How do we get back in the maze?”

“I don’t think we can.” The Doctor said after a long pause. “I think the Labyrinth is gone.”

_ “What?” _

“The Labyrinth, it’s tied to his lifeforce. If Daedalus is dead, then it’s likely that the Labyrinth is destroyed.”

“No,” Nico said. “He isn’t dead.”

“How can you be sure?” Percy asked.

“I  _ know  _ when people died. It’s this feeling I get, like a buzzing in my ears.”

“What about Tyson and Grover, then?” Percy asked desperately.

Nico shook his head. “That’s harder. They’re not humans or half-bloods. They don’t have mortal souls.”

“We have to get into town,” Annabeth decided. “Our chances will be better of finding an entrance to the Labyrinth. We have to make it back to camp before Luke and his army.”

“We could just take a plane,” Rachel said.

Percy shuddered. “I don’t fly.”

“But you just did.”

“That was low flying,” Percy said, “And even that’s risky. Flying up really high – that’s Zeus’s territory. I can’t do it. Besides, we don’t even have time for a flight. The Labyrinth is the quickest way back.”

“So we need a car to take us into the city,” Annabeth said.

Rachel looked down into the car park. She grimaced. “I’ll take care of it.”

“How?” Annabeth asked.

“Just trust me.”

Annabeth looked uneasy, but she nodded. “Okay, I’m going to buy a prism in the gift shop, try to make a rainbow, and send an Iris-message to camp.”

“I’ll go with you,” Nico said. “I’m hungry.”

“Me too.” Percy said.

“Right, I’ll go with Rachel, then.” The Doctor said. “Meet you lot in the car park.”

Rachel made her way towards a large black car parked at the edge of the car park. It was a chauffeured Lexus. The driver was reading a newspaper and wearing a dark suit and tie.

“Wait here.” Rachel said miserably. “Please.”

The Doctor nodded and watched as Rachel marched directly up to the driver and spoke to him. 

“What d’you want, kid?” The driver frowned.

“Hello, I believe you may know my father, Joseph W. Dare of Dare Enterprises?”

The man paled.

“Ma’am, I –” He folded up his magazine, nodding. “Of course, please –”

“There will be five of us.”

“Right, let me just –”

“Do what you need to do.”

The man grabbed his mobile and made a quick call, cancelling his previous ride, then opened the back door for Rachel to enter. 

“My friends are over there, I’m going to wait for the other three –”

“Of course, I’ll come over for you.”

“Thank you, good sir.”

As Rachel walked back over to the Doctor, it dawned on him that Rachel had asked him to wait back with the intentions of keeping him from hearing, not knowing the extent of his superior Time Lord hearing.

She reached the Doctor just as Percy, Annabeth, and Nico appeared from the gift shop.

“I talked to Chiron,” Annabeth said. “They’re doing their best to prepare for battle, but he still wants us back. They’re going to need every hero they can get. Did we find a ride?”

“The driver’s ready when we are,” Rachel said.

The chauffeur was now speaking to another man in khakis and a polo shirt, clearly a client, who was complaining.

“I’m sorry, sir. Emergency. I’ve ordered another car for you.”

“Come on,” Rachel said. She led the group to the car and got in without even looking at the flustered man who’d rented it.

Not a minute later and they were cruising down the road.

“Where to, Miss Dare?” The driver asked.

“I’m not sure yet, we just need to drive through town and, uh, look around.”

“Whatever you say, miss.”

Percy looked at Rachel. “Do you know this guy?”

“No.”

“But he dropped everything to help you. Why?”

“Just keep your eyes peeled,” Rachel avoided. “Help me look.”

They drove through Colorado Springs for about half an hour and saw nothing that Rachel considered a possible Labyrinth entrance.

After a half hour, they decided to head north towards Denver, thinking that perhaps a bigger city would be more likely to have an entrance, but they were all getting anxious. They were losing time.

Then, right as they were leaving Colorado Springs, Rachel sat bolt upright. “Get off the highway!”

The driver glanced back. “Miss?”

“I saw something, I think. Get off here.”

The Driver swerved across traffic and took the exit.

“What did you see?” The Doctor asked.

“Western Museum of Mining & Industry.” Rachel said.

The museum was made from an old railroad station, some drills, pumps, and old steam shovels on display outside.

“There.” Rachel pointed to a hole in the side of a nearby hill – a tunnel that was boarded up and chained. “An old mine entrance.”

“A door to the Labyrinth?” Annabeth asked. “How can you be sure?”

“Well, look at it!” Rachel said. “I mean… _ I  _ can see it, okay?”

She thanked the driver and they all got out.

“Are you sure you’ll be all right, Miss Dare? I’d be happy to call your –”

“No!” Rachel said. “No, really. Thanks, but we’re fine.”

The museum seemed to be closed, so no one bothered the group as they climbed the hill to the mine shaft. When they got to the entrance, the Doctor saw the mark of Daedalus engraved on the padlock. Percy touched the lock and the chains fell away. They kicked down a few boards and walked inside. For better or for worse, they were back in the Labyrinth.

The dirt tunnels turned to stone and they wound around and split off, trying to confuse the group. But Rachel had no trouble guiding them, hardly pausing when the tunnels offered an option.

To the Doctor’s surprise, Annabeth and Rachel started up a conversation as they walked. Annabeth asked her more about her background, but Rachel was evasive, so they began to talk about architecture. It turned out that Rachel knew a significant amount after studying art, and so they started talking about different facades on buildings around New York.

“Thanks for coming after us,” Percy told Nico as they walked.

Nico’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t seem as angry as before, just suspicious. Careful. “I owed you for the ranch. Plus…I wanted to see Daedalus for myself. Minos was right, in a way. Daedalus  _ should  _ die. Nobody should be able to avoid death that long. It’s not natural.”

“That’s what you were after all along,” The Doctor said. “You wanted to trade Daedalus’s soul for Bianca’s.”

Nico walked for several seconds in silence before answering. “It hasn’t been easy, you know. Having only the dead for company. Knowing that I’ll never be accepted by the living. Only the dead respect me, and they only do that out of fear.”

“You could be accepted,” The Doctor said. “Camp Half-Blood would accept you, you know.”

“Do you really believe that, Doctor?”

“Yes.” The Doctor said firmly. “Yes, I do believe that.”

The Doctor then ran into Rachel, who had stopped. They’d come to a crossroads. The tunnel continued directly ahead, but a side tunnel stuck off at a right angle – a circular shaft carved from black igneous rock.

“What is it?” Percy asked.

Rachel stared down the dark tunnel. 

“Is that the way?” Annabeth asked.

“No,” Rachel said nervously. “Not at all.”

“Why’ve we stopped then?” The Doctor asked. He then paused. “Do you hear that?”

There was wind coming down the tunnel, as though an exit was close. And that smell.

“Eucalyptus trees,” Percy identified. “Like in California.”

“There’s something evil down that tunnel,” Rachel said. “Something very powerful.”

“And the smell of death,” Nico added.

“This is the entrance to Mount Tam.” The Doctor said.

“I have to check it out.” Percy said.

“Percy, no!” Annabeth insisted.

“Luke could be right there,” Percy said. “Or…or Kronos. I have to find out what’s going on.”

“Then we all go.” The Doctor said.

“No,” Percy said. “It’s too dangerous. If they get hold of Nico, or Rachel for that matter, Kronos could use them. You stay here and guard them.”

“No, I’m going.” The Doctor said firmly. “Look, if there’s anyone who can go undetected, it’ll be me. The monsters can smell half-bloods. They can’t smell me.”

Percy hesitantly nodded.

“At least take this.” Annabeth pulled her Yankees cap from her pocket. “And be careful.”

“Oh, you know me,” The Doctor grinned. “I’ll be fine.”

The Doctor could hear voices as he approached the exit to the Labyrinth. 

“At least we salvaged the blade,” One said. “The master will still reward us.”

“Yes! Yes!” A second shrieked. “Rewards beyond measure!”

Another voice, a more human voice, said, “Um, yeah, well that’s great. Now, if you’re done with me –”

“No, half-blood!” A Talkhine said. “You must help us make a presentation. It is a great honor!”

“Gee, thanks,” The half-blood said. It was Ethan Nakamura. 

The Doctor crept towards the end of the tunnel, and a blast of cold air hit him as he emerged. He was standing near the top of the mountain. The Pacific Ocean was spread wide below him. A little ways downhill, two Telkhines were placing something on a large rock. It was long and thin and wrapped in black cloth. Ethan was helping them open it.

“Careful, fool,” The Telkhine scolded. “One touch and the blade will sever your soul from your body.”

Ethan swallowed nervously. “Maybe I’ll let you unwrap it, then.”

“There!” The Telkhine said, lifting the weapon to the air. It was a scythe, a two meter long blade curved in a crescent moon with a wooden handle wrapped in leather. The blade glinted two different colours: Steel and bronze. It was the weapon Kronos had used to slice open his father, Ouranous, before the gods had taken it from him and cut Kronos himself with it. The weapon was now reforged.

“We must sanctify it in blood,” the Telkhine said. “Then you, half-blood, shall help present it when the lord wakes.”

The Doctor made his way towards the fortress, sneaking through the foyer and into the main hall. The floor shined pure black, and yet full of light. Black marble statues of lost Titans lined the walls, and at the end of the room, betwixt two bronze braziers, was a dais. On this dais was the golden sarcophagus.

The room was silent apart from the crackle of the fires. Luke was not here. It was too easy. The Doctor approached, his hand touching the lid. His fingertips turned blue as frost gathered, but he pushed forth, removing the golden lid. It hit the floor.

In the sarcophagus, there was a mortal boy. He had gray pants, a white T-shirt, his hands were folded over his stomach. One piece of his chest was missing – a clean black hole the size of a bullet wound, directly where his heart should be. His eyes were closed, and his skin ashen. He had blonde hair and a scar running along the left side of his face.

The boy in the coffin was Luke.

Then, there were voices behind him.

“What has happened?” One of the Telkhines screamed when he saw the lid. The Doctor slid out of the way before he could touch any of them. 

“Careful!” the other sea demon warned. “Perhaps he stirs. We must present the gifts now. Immediately!”

The two Telkhines shuffled forth, kneeling, and holding up the scythe on its wrapping cloth. “My lord,” One said, “Your symbol of power is remade.”

Silence. Nothing.

“You fool,” the other sea demon said, “He requires the half-blood first.”

Ethan stepped back. “Woah, what do you mean he requires me?”

“Don’t be a coward!” The first Telkhine hissed. “He does not require your death. Only your allegiance. Pledge him your service. Renounce the gods. That is all.”

Ethan nodded. “I renounce the gods! I will see them destroyed. I will serve Kronos.”

The building rumbled. A wisp of blue light rose from Ethan’s feet. It drifted towards the coffin and began to shimmer. It then descended into the sarcophagus.

Luke sat bolt upright. His eyes opened, but they were no longer blue. They were a shimmering gold, just like the coffin. The hole in his chest was gone, now filled with Ethan’s allegiance. He was complete. He leapt from the coffin with ease, and where his feet touched the floor, the marble froze.

He looked at Ethan and the Telkhines. He then looked at the Doctor. Directly at him. A smile of recognition creeping across his mouth.

“This body has been well prepared.” His voice was not Luke’s. “Don’t you think so, Doctor?”

The Doctor smiled confidently, “That’s a brilliant kid you’ve corrupted.” 

The Telkhines jumped, whipping their heads around to look for the source of the voice.

Kronos threw back his head and laughed.

“Luke feared you,” the Titan’s voice said. “His jealousy and hatred have been powerful tools. It has kept him obedient. For that, I thank you.”

Ethan collapsed in terror. He covered his face with his hands. The Telkhines trembled, holding up the scythe. The Doctor lunged for it, but Kronos flicked his hand and sent the Doctor flying across the room.

He slammed against a pillar. As the Doctor returned to his feet, Kronos grasped the handle of his scythe.

“Ah…much better,” he said. “Backbiter, Luke called it. An appropriate name. Now that it is reforged completely, it shall indeed  _ bite back _ .”

“What have you done to Luke?” The Doctor demanded.

Kronos raised his scythe. “He serves me with his whole being, as I require. The difference is, he feared you,  _ boy.  _ I do not.”

“And that’s your fatal flaw.” The Doctor said. “You don’t know when to run.”  
And with that, the Doctor sprinted back towards the Labyrinth.

His feet felt like lead, and his legs were threatening to buckle, but he kept running.

“Run, little hero!” Kronos laughed. “Run!”

The Doctor kept running, but he could hear his pursuers right behind him.

Kronos was only a couple meters away when he heard Rachel shout, “DOCTOR!”

Something flew past him, and a blue plastic hairbrush hit Kronos in the eye.

“Ow!” He yelled. For a moment, it was only Luke’s voice, full of surprise and pain. 

The Doctor’s limbs were released, and he ran straight into Rachel, Nico, Annabeth, and Percy, who were standing in the entry hall, their eyes wide with dismay.

“Luke?” Annabeth called. “What –”

“Run!” The Doctor grabbed her by the shirt and dragged her after him.

The five of them were nearly back to the Labyrinth entrance when there was the powerful bellow of Kronos’s voice, coming back into control. “AFTER THEM!”

“No!” Nico yelled. He clapped his hands together, and a jagged spire of rock the size of a large truck erupted from the ground right in front of the fortress. The tremor it caused was so powerful that the front columns of the building came crashing down. There were muffled screams from the Telkhines inside. Dust billowed everywhere.

The Doctor, Percy, Annabeth, Rachel, and Nico plunged back into the Labyrinth and kept running. The howl of the Titan lord shaking the world behind them.


	16. The Lord of the Wild

When they finally stopped running, they found themselves in a tunnel of wet white rock. There was no sound behind them, and so they decided they could take a break.

“I can’t go any farther,” Rachel gasped, hugging her chest.

Annabet had been crying the entire time they’d been running. She now collapsed and put her head between her knees. Her sobs echoed in the tunnel. Percy awkwardly sat beside her and put an arm around her. The Doctor sat next to Nico. He dropped his sword and took a shaky breath.

“That sucked,” he said.

“You saved our lives.” The Doctor said.

Nico wiped the dust from his face. “Blame the girls for dragging me along. That’s the only thing they could agree on. We need to help you or you’d mess things up.”

The Doctor laughed.

Annabeth lifted her head. Her eyes were red from crying. “Doctor…What – what was wrong with Luke? What did they do to him?”

The Doctor explained what he’d seen. How Kronos was possessing Luke’s body. 

“No,” Annabeth said. “That can’t be true. He couldn’t –”

“He gave himself over to Kronos,” The Doctor said, “I’m really sorry Annabeth, but he’s – he’s not Luke anymore.”

“No!” She insisted. “You saw when Rachel hit him.”

The Doctor nodded. 

“You hit the Lord of Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush.” Percy said. “I respect that.”

Rachel looked embarrassed. “It was the only thing I had.”

“But you  _ saw _ ,” Annabeth insisted. “When it hit him, just for a second, he was dazed. He came back to his senses.”

“So maybe Kronos wasn’t completely settled in the body, or whatever,” Percy said. “It doesn’t mean Luke was in control.”

“You  _ want  _ him to be evil, is that it?” Annabeth yelled. “You didn’t know him before, Percy. I did!”

“What is it with you?” Percy snapped. “Why do you keep defending him?”

“Woah, you two,” Rachel said. “Knock it off.”

Annabeth turned on her. “Stay out of it, mortal girl! If it wasn’t for you…”

Annabeth’s voice broke. She put her head down again and continued to sobb. 

“We have to keep moving,” Nico said. “He’ll send monsters after us.”

The Doctor nodded, getting to his feet and helping Rachel up.

“You were brilliant back there.”

She managed a weak smile. “Yeah, well. I didn’t want you to die.” She blushed. “I mean…just because, you know. You owe me too many favours. How am I going to collect if you die?”

The Doctor grinned, “It’ll take a lot more than an evil Titan lord to kill me.”

Once Percy helped Annabeth back to her feet, they continued through the Labyrinth.

“Back to New York,” Percy said. “Rachel, can you –”

Percy crashed into the Doctor, who had frozen. At their feet, lying on the ground, was the Rasta cap that Grover always wore.

The Doctor picked up the cap, it looked to have been stepped on by a large muddy boot. On the floor was thick mud, and in it were large footprints, and small goat hooves that led to the left. Tyson and Grover had been here.

Without waiting for approval, the Doctor began to follow the prints, the others right behind him.

Finally, they made it to the bottom of a slope and found themselves in a large cave with massive stalagmite columns. Through the center of the room ran an underground river, and Tyson was sitting by the banks, cradling Grover in his lap. The satyr’s eyes were closed and he wasn’t moving.

“Tyson!” Percy yelled the moment he saw the Cyclops.

“Percy! Come quick!”

They hurried over to him. Grover’s body was trembling.

“What happened?” The Doctor asked.

“So many things,” Tyson murmured. “Large snake. Large dogs. Men with swords. But then…we got close to here. Grover was excited. He ran. Then we reached this room, and he fell. Like this.”

Percy shined his flashlight around the cavern, and at the far end was the entrance to another cave, flanked by gigantic columns of crystal.

“Grover,” Percy said. “Wake up.”

“Uhhhhhhhhh.”

Annabeth knelt beside him and plashed cold water in his face.

“Splurg!” His eyes fluttered. “Percy? Annabeth? Doctor? Where…”

“You passed out,” The Doctor said. “The presence was too much.”

“I – I remember. Pan.”

“Yep.” The Doctor grinned. “Something powerful is just beyond that doorway.”

Percy quickly introduced Tyson, Grover, and Rachel. Tyson told Rachel she was pretty, which made Annabeth’s nostrils flare.

“Right, this way.” The Doctor helped Grover to his feet and supported most of his weight. The seven of them waded across the underground river together. The current was strong, and the water came up to their waists.

“I think we’re in the Carlsbad Caverns,” Annabeth said, her teeth chattering in the cold water. “Maybe an unexplored section.” The Doctor was carrying Grover bridal style to keep him from being in the freezing water.

“How do you know?” Percy asked.

“Carlsbad is in New Mexico,” The Doctor pointed out. “That would explain last winter.”

That was the last time Grover had succumb to the presence of Pan.

They finally got out of the water and kept walking. The crystal pillars loomed larger, and the Doctor could feel the power emanating from the next room. He could smell the scent of trees and flowers that engulfed them.

Grover whimpered with excitement.

They stepped into the cave.

“Oh, wow.” Rachel said.

The walls glittered with crystals of all sorts of colours. In the beautiful light, lovely plants grew – massive orchids, periwinkle, vines bursting with orange and purple berries that crept amongst the crystals. The cave floor was covered with soft green moss. Overhead, the ceiling was high and sparkling like a galaxy. In the center of the cave stood a Roman-style bed, gilded wood shaped like a curly U with velvet cushions. The animals lounged around it were a number of extinct animals. And on the bed lay an old satyr. He watched the group as they approached, his eyes blue, his curly hair white. Even the goat fur on his legs were frosted with gray. His horns were massive – glossy brown and curved. Around his neck hung a set of reed pipes.

“Doctor,” he smiled. “It is good to see you again. Grover, my dear, brave satyr. I have waited a very long time for you.”

“Pan,” The Doctor greeted the satyr.

“Lord Pan!” Grover fell to his knees before the bed. “I…got lost.”

Pan laughed lightly.

“You look tired.” The Doctor observed.

“I am tired, Doctor. It comes with age, I’m afraid.”

The Doctor smiled. “Oh, come on. I think you’ve got a few more years in you yet.”

He laughed sadly and turned to the others. “You are thinking loudly.”

“This is the most beautiful place!” Annabeth said. “It’s better than any building ever designed.”

“I’m glad you like it, dear,” Pan said. “It is one of the last wild places. My realm above is gone, I’m afraid. Only pockets remain. Tiny places of life. This one shall stay undisturbed…for a little longer.”

“My lord,” Grover said, “Please, you must come back with me! The Elders will never believe it! They’ll be overjoyed! You can save the world!”

Pan placed a wrinkled hand on Grover’s head, ruffling his curly hair. “You are so young, Grover. So good and true. I think I chose well.”

“Chose?” Grover said. “I – I don’t understand.”

Pan’s image flickered, momentarily turning to smoke.

“Pan –” The Doctor said, but the old satyr raised a hand for silence.

There was a bit of comotion amongst the animals, and then Pan reformed.

“I have slept many eons,” the god said forlornly. “My dreams have been dark. I wake fitfully, and each time my waking is shorter. Now we are near the end.”

“What?” Grover cried. “But no! You’re right here!”

“My dear satyr,” Pan said. “I tried to tell the world, two thousand years ago. I announced it to Lysas, a satyr very much like you. He lived in Ephesus, and he tried to spread the word.”

Annabeth’s eyes widened. “The old story. A sailor passing by the coast of Ephoesus heard a voice crying from the shore, ‘Tell them the great god Pan is dead.’”

“But that wasn’t true!” Grover said.

“Your kind never believed it,” Pan said. “You sweet, stubborn satyrs refused to accept my passing. And I love you for that, but you only delayed the inevitable. You only prolonged my long, painful passing, my dark twilight sleep. It must end.”

“No!” Grover’s voice trembled.

“Dear Grover,” Pan said. “You must accept the truth. Your companion, Nico, he understands.”

Nico nodded slowly. “He’s dying. He should have died long ago. This…this is more like a memory.”

“But gods can’t die,” Grover said.

“They can fade,” Pan said, “when everything they stood for is gone. When they cease to have power, and their sacred places disappear. The wild, my dear Grover, is so small now, so shattered, that no god can save it. My realm is gone. That is why I need you to carry a message. You must go back to the council. You must tell the satyrs, and the dryads, and the other spirits of nature, that the great god Pan  _ is  _ dead. Tell them of my passing. Because they must stop waiting for me to save them. I cannot. The only salvation you must make yourself. Each of you must –”

He stopped and frowned at the dodo bird at his feet. She had begun to humm again.

“Dede, what are you doing?” He demanded. “Are you going to sing  _ Kumbaya  _ again?”

Dede looked up innocently, blinking her yellow eyes. Pan sighed. “Everybody’s a cynic. But as I was saying, my dear Grover, each of you must take up my calling.”

“But…no!” Grover whimpered.

“Be strong,” Pan said. “You have found me. And now you must release me. You must carry on my spirit. It can no longer be carried by a god. It must be taken up by all of you”

“Percy Jackson,” the god said. “I know what you have seen today. I know your doubts But I give you this news: when the time comes, you will not be ruled by fear.”

He turned to Annabeth. “Daughter of Athena, your time is coming. You will play a great role, though it may not be the role you imagined.”

He then looked at Tyson. “Master Cyclops, do not despair. Heroes rarely live up to our expectations. But you Tyson – your name shall live among the Cyclipes for generations. Miss Rachel Dare…”

Rachel flinched when he said her name. She backed up as though she was guilty, but Pan only smiled, raising a hand in a blessing.

“I know you believe you cannot make amends,” he said. “But you are just as important as your father.”

“I –” Rachel faltered. A tear traced her cheek.

“I know you don’t believe this now,” Pan said. “But look for opportunities. They will come.”

He turned to the Doctor. “Don’t cry, old friend, do not weep for my passing, as I think we both know that this was long overdue. You are destined for great things, whether they be good or terrible, that is up to you. Remember to keep your heart above all.”

Finally, he turned to Grover. “My dear, satyr, will you carry my message?”

“I – I can’t.”

“You can,” Pan said. “You are the strongest and bravest. Your heart is true. You have believed in me more than anyone ever has, which is why you must bring the message, and why you must be the first to release me.”

“I don’t want to.”

“I know,” the god said. “But my name,  _ Pan… _ originally it meant  _ rustic.  _ Did you know that? But over the years it has come to mean _ all.  _ The spirit of the wild must pass to all of you now. You must tell each one you meet: if you would find Pan, take up Pan’s spirit. Remake the wild, a little at a time, each in your own corner of the world. You cannot wait for anyone else, even a god, to do that for you.”

Grover wiped his eyes. Then, he slowly stood. “I’ve spent my whole life looking for you. Now…I release you.”

Pan smiled. “Thank you, dear satyr. My flinal blessing.”

He closed his eyes, and the god dissolved. White mist divided into wisps of energy. This filled the room in curls of smoke. It went directly into the Doctor’s body, and then Percy’s, and then Grover’s. It passed through all of them, though most of it went into Grover. The crystals dimmed. The animals gave a sad look and turned gray, crumbling into dust. The vines withered, and they were all alone in a dark cave with an empty bed.

Grover took a deep breath.

“We should go now,” Grover said, “and tell them. The great god Pan is dead.”


	17. Attack on Camp Half-Blood

Finally, the Doctor, Percy, Annabeth, Rachel, Nico, Grover, and Tyson had made it back to Times Square. They climbed out of the Marriott basement and stood on the sidewalk in the bright summer daylight.

Percy led the way into an alley, where he could get a good echo and whistled as loud as he could five times.

Only a minute later, Rachel gasped. “They’re beautiful!”

A flock of pegasi descended from the sky, swooping between skyscrapers, Blackjack in the lead followed by five white friends.

Everyone but Rachel saddled up.

“Well,” she said, “I guess this is it.”

The Doctor nodded.

“You’re brilliant, you know.”

“Yeah, we couldn’t have done it without you.” Percy said.

“I wouldn’t have missed it. I mean, except for almost dying, and Pan…” Her voice faltered.

“He said something about your father,” Percy remembered. “What did he mean?”

Rachel twisted the strap on her backpack. “My dad…My dad’s job. He’s kind of a famous businessman.”

“You mean…you’re  _ rich _ ?” Percy stared at her.

“Well, yeah.”

“That’s how she got the chauffeur to help us.” The Doctor said obviously.

“Yes,” Rachel said, “Percy…my dad’s a land developer. He flies all over the world, looking for tracts of undeveloped land.” She took a shaky breath. “The wild. He – he buys it up. I hate it, but he plows it down and builds ugly subdivisions and shopping centers. And now that I’ve seen Pan…Pan’s death –”

“It’s not your fault, Rachel.” The Doctor said.

“You don’t know the worst of it.” Rachel said miserably. “I – I don’t like to talk about my family. I didn’t want you to know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No,” Percy said quickly, “It’s cool. Look, Rachel, you did awesome. You led us through the maze. You were so brave. That’s the only thing we’re going to judge you on. We don’t care what your dad does.”

Rachel smiled gratefully. “Well…if you guys ever feel like hanging out with a mortal again…you could call me or something.”

“Will do.” The Doctor said.

“Um…thanks, Rachel.” Annabeth said. “You did a good job.”

“Thanks,” Rachel smiled, “See you later. Go save the world for me, okay?”

She walked off down Seventh Avenue and disappeared into the crowds.

Nico was struggling to get on his pegasus. 

_ “He smells like dead people!”  _ Porkpie was complaining.

_ “Hey now,”  _ Blackjack said.  _ “Come on, Porkpie. Lots of demigods smell weird. It ain’t their fault.” _

“Go without me!” Nico said. “I don’t want to go back to that camp anyway.”

“Nico,” The Doctor said. “We  _ want  _ you there.”

He hesitated. “Fine. But I’m not staying.”

“That’s your choice.” The Doctor promised.

Finally, after a bit of convincing, the Doctor got Porkpie to let Nico on his back, and they soon were in the air, Long Island spread before them.

They landed in the middle of the cabin area and were immediately met by Chiron and the satyr Silenus, as well as a few Apollo cabin archers. Chiron raised an eyebrow when he saw Nico, but he did not comment. They told him what had happened, but the centaur stayed stoic throughout.

“I feared as much,” Chiron said. “We must hurry. Hopefully you have slowed down the Titan lord, but his vanguard will still be coming through. They will be anxious for blood. Most of our defenders are already in place. Come!”

“Wait a moment,” Silenus demanded. “What of the search for Pan? You were almost three weeks overdue, Grover Underwood! Your searcher’s license is revoked!”

Grover took a deep breath. He stood up straight, looking Silenus in the eye. “Searcher’s licenses don’t matter anymore. The great god Pan is dead. He has passed on and left us his spirit.”

_ “What?”  _ Silenus’s face turned bright read. “Sacrilege and lies! Grover Underwood, I will have you exiled for speaking this!”

“It’s true,” Percy said boldly. “We were there when he died. All of us.”

“Impossible! You are all liars! Nature-destroyers!”

Chiron studied Grover’s face. “We will speak of this later.”

“We will speak of it now!” Silenus said. “We must deal with this –”

“Silenus,” Chiron cut in. “My camp is under attack. The matter of Pan has waited two thousand years. I fear it will have to wait a bit longer. Assuming we are still here this evening.”

He readied his bow and galloped towards the woods, leaving the rest of them to follow.

It was the biggest military operation that Doctor had seen at the camp thus far. Every camper was in the clearing, dressed in full battle armor. The Hephaestus cabin had set up traps around the entrance to the Labyrinth – razor wire, pits filled with pots of Greek fire, rows of sharpened sticks to deflect a charge. Beckendorf was manning two catapults aimed at Zeus’s Fist. The Ares cabin was on the front line, drilling in phalanx formation with Clarisse calling orders. Apollo’s and Hermes’s cabins were scattered in the woods with their bows ready, many having taken up positions in the trees. Even the dryads were armed with their bows, and the satyrs trotted around with wooden cudgels and shields made of rough tree bark.

Annabeth went to join her half-siblings from the Athena cabin, who had set up a command tent and were directing operations. A gray banner with an owl fluttered outside the tent. Argus stood guard at the door. Aphrodite’s children were running around straightening everyone’s armor and offering to comb the tangles from their horse hair plumes. Even Dionysus’s kids were running around and providing all the warriors with water bottles and juice boxes.

“It isn’t enough.” Chiron muttered.

Over at the edge of the clearing, Grover was reuniting with Juniper. She held his hands whilst he told her what had happened. Green tears formed in her eyes as he delivered the news about Pan.

Tyson helped the Hephaestus kids prepare the defences. He picked up boulders and piled them beside the catapults for firing.

“Doctor, Percy,” Chiron said. “Stay with me. When the fighting begins, I want you to wait until we know what we’re dealing with. You must go where we most need reinforcements.”

“He’s taken a mortal body.” The Doctor said.

“The gods have assumed the shapes of mortals for ages,” Chiron said thoughtfully, “but to actually become one…to merge the divine form with the mortal. I don’t know how this could be done without Luke’s form turning to ashes.”

“Kronos said his body had been prepared.”

“I shudder to think what that means.” Chiron said. “But perhaps it will limit Kronos’s power. For a time, at least, he is confined to a human form. It binds him together. Hopefully, it also restricts him.”

“Chiron,” Percy said, “if he leads this attack –”

“I do not think so, my boy.” Chiron assured him. “I would sense if he was drawing near. No doubt he planned to, but I believe the Doctor has successfully convinced him. He and your friend Nico, son of Hades.”

Before anyone could react, the ground underneath trembled. Everyone in the clearing stopped what they were doing. Clarisse barked a single order: “Lock shields!”

The Titan lord’s army exploded from the Labyrinth.

The first thing from the Labyrinth were a dozen Laistrygonian giants erupting from the ground, yelling loudly. They carried shields made from flattened cars and clubs from tree trunks with rusted spikes bristling at the end. One of the Laistrygonians bellowed at the Ares phalanx, smashed it sideways with his club, and the entire cabin was thrown aside, and a dozen warriors tossed to the wind.

“Fire!” Beckendorf yelled. The catapults swung into action. Two boulders hurled towards the giants. One deflected off a shield with hardly a dent, but the other caught a Laistrygonian in the chest, and the giant went down. Apollo’s archers fired a volley, dozens of arrows sticking in the thick armor of the giants. Several found chinks in armor, and some of the giants vaporized at the touch of celestial bronze.

But just when it looked as though the Laistrygonians were just about to be overwhelmed, a wave of forty dracaenae in full battle armor emerged, wielding spears and nets. They dispersed in all directions, some hitting the traps that had been set by the Hephaestus cabin. One got stuck on the spikes and became an easy target for archers. Another triggered a trip wire, and pots of Greek fires exploded into green frames, engulfing several of the dracaenae. But there were more coming. Argus and Athena’s warriors rushed forth to meet them.

Chiron calmly aimed arrow after arrow, taking down a monster with every shot. But more climbed from the maze. Finally, a hellhound leapt from the tunnel and barreled directly towards the satyrs.

“GO!” Chiron yelled at the Doctor and Percy. The Doctor whistled at the hellhound, drawing its attention, and began to run.

The hellhound chased him, and just as it was about to catch, a sword went through the hound’s head.

Percy was standing above him.

“Brilliant job.” The Doctor commended.

“Percy!”

The Doctor and Percy spun around to see Grover crying out. A forest fire had started. Flames roared with a couple meters of Juniper’s tree. Both she and Grover were going mad trying to save it, Grover playing a rain song on his pipes and Juniper trying desperately to beat the flames with her green shawl, but only made things worse.

“I got this.” Percy said, “You go help the others.”

The Doctor nodded and sprinted off. When he looked back, a wall of water had come through the trees, dousing the fire.

Just as the battle was looking to be balanced out once again, a horrid shriek echoed from within the Labyrinth, and Kampê burst into the sky, wings fully extended. She landed on Zeus’s Fist and surveyed the carnage. Her face was filled with glee, and in her right hand, she held a glittering ball of thread: Ariadne’s string. But she popped it into a lion’s mouth around her waist and drew her curved swords. 

“Oi!” The Doctor shouted. “Remember me!” 

Kampê’s head snapped to attention and took off after him. 

The Doctor ran. 

He didn’t really have a plan, he just needed to get her as far away from the campers as possible. But he only managed to make it ten meters before Kampê managed to grab his head and smash him into the ground.

“Finally. I have you.” She grinned.

The Doctor felt blood dribble from his mouth.

And then, from behind him, something howled. A wall of darkness slammed into Kampê, sending the monster sideways. Mrs. O’Leary was standing over him, snarling and snapping at Kampê.

“Good girl!” The voice of Daedalus. He was fighting his way out from the Labyrinth, slashing down enemies as he made his way towards the Doctor. Beside him was someone else – a familiar giant with a hundred rippling arms, each holding large chunks of rock.  
“Briares!” Tyson called in wonder.

“Hail, little brother!” Briares bellowed. “Stand firm!”

Mrs. O’Leary leapt from the way as the Hekatonkheir launched a volley of boulders at Kampê. The rocks seemed to enlarge as they left Briares’s hands. 

_ BOOOOM!  _

Where Kampê had stood a moment before, was now a mountain of boulders, nearly as tall as Zeus’s Fist. 

A cheer went up from the campers, but one of the dracaenae yeled, “Ssssslay them! Kill them all or Kronossss will flay you alive!”

That threat was much more terrifying than the campers, and so the Laistrygonians surged forth in one last desperate attempt. One surprised Chiron with a glancing blow to the back legs, and he stumbled and fell. Six giants cried in glee and rushed forth.

“No!” The Doctor was on his feet again, but he was much too far away to be of any help.

Then, Grover opened his mouth, and let out a deafening yell that must have been heard for a hundred kilometers. It was the sound of pure fear. 

As one, the forces of Kronos dropped their weapons and fled. The Laistrygonians trampled the dracaenae trying to get back into the Labyrinth first. Telkhines, hellhounds, and enemy half-bloods scrambled after them. The tunnel rumbled shut, and the battle was over. The clearing was quiet apart from the fires burning in the woods and the cries of the wounded.

The Doctor made his way to Chiron.

“Are you all right?” Percy asked, running over as well, followed by Annabeth and Grover.

The centaur was lying on his side, trying in vain to get up. “How embarrassing,” he muttered. “I think I will be fine. Fortunately, we do not shoot centaurs with broken…Ow!…broken legs.”

“You need help,” Annabeth said. “I’ll get a medic from Apollo’s cabin.”

“No,” Chiron insisted. “There are more serious injuries to attend to. Go! I am fine. But, Grover…later we must talk about how you did that.”

“That was amazing,” Percy agreed.

Grover blushed. “I don’t know where it came from.”

“I do.” The Doctor and Juniper said in unison.

“Percy! Doctor!” Tyson suddenly called. “Come quick! It’s Nico!”

There was smoke curling off the young boy’s black clothes. His fingers were clenched, and the grass all around his body had turned yellow and died. 

The Doctor gently rolled him over, taking his wrist with one hand and feeling for a pulse. It was there – faint, but there.

“Get some nectar.” The Doctor commanded. 

One of the Ares campers hobbled over and handed him a canteen. Propping him up slightly, the Doctor trickled some of the drink into the young boy’s mouth.

Nico coughed and spluttered, his eyes fluttering open.

“Nico!” Percy said. “What happened? Can you talk?”

He nodded weakly. “Never tried to summon so many before. I – I’ll be fine.” 

The Doctor gave him some more nectar. He blinked, and then focused on someone behind the Doctor. 

“Daedalus,” He croaked.

“Yes, my boy,” the inventor said. “I made a very bad mistake. I came to correct it.”

Daedalus had a few scratches that were bleeding golden oil, but he looked better than most. Mrs. O’Leary loomed behind him, licking the wounds on her master’s head so Daedalus’s hair stood up straight. Briares stood next to him, surrounded by a group of awed campers and satyrs. He looked somewhat bashful, but he was signing autographs on armor, shields, and T-shirts.

“I found the Hundred-Handed One as I came through the maze,” Daedalus explained. “It seems he had the same idea, to come help, but he was lost. And so we fell in together. We both came to make amends.”

“Yay!” Tyson jumped up and down. “Briares! I knew you would come!”

Briares smiled. “Cyclops, you reminded me who I am. And Doctor, you showed me what I could be. You are the heroes, not I.”

“Daedalus…” Percy said. “The Titan army is still down there. Even without the string, they’ll be back. They’ll find a way sooner or later, with Kronos leading them.”

Daedalus sheathed his sword. “You are right. As long as the Labyrinth is here, your enemies can use it. Which is why the Labyrinth cannot continue.”

Annabeth stared at him. “But you said the Labyrinth is tied to your life force! As long as you’re alive –”

“Yes, my young architect,” Daedalus agreed. “When I die, the Labyrinth will die as well. And so I have a present for you.”

He slung a leather satchel off his back, unzipped it, and produced a sleek silver laptop computer – one of his from the workshop. On the lid was a blue Delta.

“My work is here,” he said. “It’s all I managed to save from the fire. Notes on projects I never started. Some of my favorite designs. I couldn’t develop these over the last few millennia. I did not dare reveal my work to the mortal world. But perhaps you will find it interesting.”

He handed the computer to Annabeth, who stared at it in awe. “You’re giving me this? But this is priceless! This is worth…I don’t even know how much!”

“Small compensation for the way I have acted,” Daedalus said. “You were right, Annabeth, about children of Athena. We should be wise, and I was not. Someday you will be a greater architect than I ever was. Take my ideas and improve them. It is the least I can do before I pass on.”

“Woah,” Percy said. “Pass on? But you can’t just kill yourself. That’s wrong!”

He shook his head. “Not as wrong as hiding from my crimes for two thousand years. Genius does not excuse evil, Percy. My time has come. I must face my punishment.”

“You won’t get a fair trial,” Annabeth said. “The spirit of Minos sits in judgement –”

“I will take what comes,” Daedalus said. “And trust in the justice of the Underworld, such as it is. That is all we can do, isn’t it?”

He looked directly at Nico, and the boy’s face darkened.

“Yes,” he said.

“Will you take my soul for ransom, then?” Daedalus asked. “You could use it to reclaim your sister.”

“No,” Nico said. “I will help you release your spirit. But Bianca has passed. She must stay where she is.”

Daedalus nodded. “Well done, son of Hades. You are becoming wise.” Then he turned towards Percy. “I cannot leave Mrs. O’Leary alone, Mr. Jackson,” He said, “And she has no desire to return to the Underworld. Will you care for her?”

“Yeah, of course I will.” Percy said.

“Then I am ready to see my son…and Perdix,” he said. “I must tell them how sorry I am.”

The inventor turned towards Nico, who drew his sword. “Your time has long since come.” Nico said simply. “Be released and rest.”

A smile of relief spread across Daedalus’s face. He froze like a statue, his skin becoming transparent and revealing the bronze gears and machinery that was whirring underneath. The statue then turned to gray ash and disintegrated.

Mrs. O’Leary howled in sorrow.

Beneath them, the earth rumbled as the ancient Labyrinth collapsed.

“Come on,” Percy said. “We have work to do.” The Doctor nodded.

“That we do.”


	18. The Council's Decision

There were too many goodbyes.

Among the dead was Lee Fletcher from the Apollo cabin who had been downed by a giant’s club. He was wrapped in a golden shroud without any decoration. Caster, a son of Dionysus had gone down fighting an enemy half-blood and was wrapped in a deep purple shroud embroidered with grapevines. He was only seventeen. His twin brother, Pollux, tried to save a few words, but he choked up and just took the torch. He lit the funeral pyre in the middle of the amphitheatre, and within seconds, the row of shrounds was engulfed in fire, sending smoke and sparks up into the air.

The camp spent the next day treating the wounded, which was nearly everyone, and the satyrs and dryads worked to repair the damage to the woods.

At noon, the Council of Cloven Elders held an emergency meeting in their sacred grove. The three senior satyrs were there, along with Chiron, who was in his wheelchair. His broken leg was still mending, so he would be confined to the chair for a few months, until the leg was strong enough to take his weight. The grove was filled with satyrs, dryads, and naiads up from the water – hundreds of them, anxious to hear what would happen. Juniper, Annabeth, Percy, and the Doctor stood by Grover’s side.

Silenus wanted to exile Grover immediately, but Chiron persuaded him to hear evidence first, so they told everyone what had happened in the crystal cavern, and what Pan had said. Then several eyewitnesses from the battle came forth to describe Grover’s scream, which had driven the Titan’s army back underground.

“It was panic,” insisted Juniper. “Grover summoned the power of the wild god.”

“Panic?” Percy asked.

“Percy,” Chiron explained, “During the first war of the gods and Titans, Lord Pan let forth a horrible cry that scared away the enemy armies. It is – it  _ was  _ his greatest power – a massive wave of fear that helped the gods win the day. The word  _ panic  _ is named after Pan, you see. And Grover used that power, calling it forth from within himself.”

“Preposterous!” Silenus bellowed. “Sacrilege! Perhaps the wild god favoured us with a blessing. Or perhaps Grover’s music was so awful it scared the enemy away.”

“That wasn’t it, sir,” Grover said. He sounded a lot calmer than he usually would. “He let his spirit pass into all of us. We must act. Each of us must work to renew the wild, to protect what’s left of it. We must spread the word. Pan is dead. There is no one but us.”

“After two thousand years of searching, this is what you would have us believe?” Silenus cried. “Never! We must continue the search. Exile the traitor!”

Some of the older satyrs muttered assent.

“A vote!” Silenus demanded. “Who would believe this ridiculous young satyr, anyway?”

“I would.”

Everyone turned. Striding into the grove was none other than Dionysus. He was wearing a formal black suit and a deep purple tie with a violet dress shirt. His curly dark hair was carefully combed and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked as though he’d been crying, but was hiding it well. The Doctor was familiar with such things.

The satyrs all stood respectfully and bowed as he approached. Dionysus waved his hand, and a new chair grew from the ground beside Silenus’s – a throne made of grapevines.

Dionysus sat down and crossed his legs. He snapped his fingers and a satyr hurried forwards with a plate of cheese and crackers with a Diet Coke.

The god of wine cast his gaze around the assembled crowd. “Miss me?”

The satyrs fell over themselves nodding and bowing. “Oh, yes, very much, sire!”

“Well, I did not miss this place!” Dionysus snapped. “I bear bad news, my friends. Evil news. The minor gods are changing sides. Morpheus has gone over to the enemy. Hecate, Janus, and Nemesis, as well. Zeus knows how many more.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

“Strike that,” Dionysus said. “Even  _ Zeus  _ doesn’t know. Now, I want to hear Grover’s story. Again, from the top.”

“But, my lord!” Silenus protested. “It’s just nonsense!”

Dionysus’s eyes flared with purple fire. “I have just learned that my son Castor is dead, Silenus. I am not in a good mood. You would do well to humour me.”

Silenus gulped and waved at Grover to start again.

Once Grover had finished, Dionysus nodded. “It sounds like just the sort of thing Pan would do. Grover is right. The search is tiresome. You must start thinking for yourselves.” He turned to a satyr. “Bring me some peeled grapes, right away!”

“Yes, sire!” The satyr scampered off.

“We must exile the traitor!” Silenus insisted.

“I say no,” Dionysus countered. “That is my vote.”

“I vote no as well,” Chiron put in.

Silenus set his jaw stubbornly. “All in favour of the exile?”

He, Maron, and Leneus all raised their hands.

“Three to two,” Silenus said.

“Ah, yes,” Dionysus said. “But unfortunately for you, a god’s vote counts twice. And as I voted against, we are tied.”

Silenus stood, indignant. “This is an outrage! The council cannot stand at an impasse.”

“Then let it be dissolved!” Dionysus said. “I don’t care.”

Silenus bowed stiffly along with the other two and they left the grove. About twenty satyrs went with them. The rest stood around, murmuring uncomfortably.

“Don’t worry,” Grover told them. “We don’t need a council to tell us what to do. We can figure it out ourselves.”

He told them once again the words of Pan, how they must save the wild a small bit at a time. He began dividing the satyrs into groups. Some would go to the national parks, some would search out the last wild places, and some would defend the parks in big cities.

The Doctor smiled. Grover had certainly grown up.

The Doctor and Percy found Tyson on the beach speaking to Briares that evening. Briares was building a rather impressive sand castle with fifty of his hands, but he didn’t seem to be paying much attention to it. Tyson was drawing a map in the sand.

“Go left at the reef,” he told Briares. “Straight down when you see the sunken ship. Then about one mile east, past the mermaid graveyard, you will start to see fires burning.”

“You’re giving him directions to the forges?” Oercy asked.

Tyson nodded. “Briares wants to help. He will teach Cyclopes ways we have forgotten, how to make better weapons and armor.”

“I want to see Cyclopes,” Briares agreed. “I don’t want to be lonely anymore.”

“I doubt you’ll be lonely down there,” Percy said wistfully. “They’re going to keep you really busy.”

Briares’s face morphed into a happy expression. “Busy sounds good! I only wish Tyson could go, too.”

Tyson blushed. “I need to stay here with my brother. You will do fine, Briares. Thank you.”

Briares shook Percy’s hand. “We will meet again, Percy. I know it!” 

He then shook the Doctor’s. “As for you, I am not as sure, but I hope that you stick around Earth long enough for me to see you once more.”

He then gave Tyson a big hug and waded out into the ocean. They watched until his enormous head disappeared under the waves.

“You helped him a lot.” Percy said.

“I only talked to him.” Tyson said, smiling shyly.

“You believed in him.” The Doctor said.

“Yeah, and without Briares, we would never have taken down Kampê.”

Tyson grinned. “He throws good rocks!”

“Yeah, he throws really good rocks.” Percy laughed.

“Come on then,” The Doctor said, “We ought to get to the dining pavilion for dinner.”

Nico hung out in the shadows at the edge of the pavillon during dinner. He’d been offered a place at the Hermes table, and even the head table with Chiron, but had refused.

After dinner, the campers headed towards the amphitheatre, where Apollo’s cabin promised a brilliant sing-along to pick up the spirits, but Nico turned and disappeared into the woods. The Doctor followed.

When the Doctor found Nico, he was standing before a ghost, the shimmering form of Bianca di Angelo. She smiled, touched his face, and disappeared.

“Saying goodbye,” Nico said hoarsely, looking at the Doctor. The anger in his eyes was gone now.

“You could have sat at the Poseidon table, you know.” The Doctor said. “I’m not son of Poseidon, and I just sat down there.”

“No. Nico said.

“You’re not staying, are you?”

Nico shook his head. “I don’t belong here, Doctor. There’s a reason they didn’t put a cabin to Hades here. He’s not welcome any more than he is on Olympus. I have to go.”

“That’s your decision.” The Doctor said. “But you don’t have to be on your own.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you could travel with me. In the TARDIS, I mean. I could take you anywhere.”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Doctor, but I got to do this on my own.”

The Doctor nodded. “When will you leave?”

“Right away.” Nico said. “I’ve got tons of questions. Like who was my mother? Who paid for Bianca and me to go to school? Who was that lawyer guy who got us out of the Lotus Hotel? I know  _ nothing  _ about my past. I need to find out.”

The Doctor smiled. “I hope we are leaving on good terms, then.”

Nico lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry I was a brat. I should’ve listened to you about Bianca.”

“Oh, by the way.” From his pocket, the Doctor took the small statue of Hades that Nico had abandoned when he left last winter.

Nico hesitated. “I don’t play that game anymore. It’s for kids.”

The Doctor smiled. “There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t act a little childish sometimes.”

Nico took the statue and slid it into his pocket. “Thanks.”

“I’ve got a lot of things to investigate,” He said. “Some of them…Well, if I learn anything useful, I’ll let you know.”

“Keep in touch, Nico.” The Doctor said. “And we’re always here, if you need someone.”

“Thanks.” They shook hands and Nico trudged off into the woods, the shadows bending towards him as he walked.

“There goes a very troubled young man.”

The Doctor turned to see Dionysus standing behind him.

“Walk with me.” He said.

The Doctor fell in-step with Dionysus. 

“We have had many betrayals,” the wine god said. “Things are not looking good for Olympus. Yet you, Percy, and Annabeth have saved this camp. I’m not sure I should thank you for that.”

“Don’t.” The Doctor said.

He shrugged. “Regardless, I suppose it was mildly competent, what you did. I thought you should know – it wasn’t a total loss.”

They reached the amphitheatre, and Dionysus pointed towards the campfire. Clarisse was sitting shoulder to shoulder with a boy who was telling her a joke. It was Chris Rodriguez.

“You cured him?” The Doctor asked the god.

“Madness is my specialty. It was quite simple.”

“Thank you.” The Doctor said. “He deserved a second chance, you know.”

“Perhaps I felt grieved by my son’s death.” Dionysus hummed. “At any rate, it seems to have improved Clarisse's mood.”

“As a mortal I was never a great fighter or athlete or poet.” The wine god sighed. “I only made wine. The people in my village laughed at me. They said I would never amount to anything. Look at me now.”

“Don’t underestimate the power of a kind act.” The Doctor nodded.

“Sometimes small things can become very large indeed.” Dionysus said. “Do remember that.”

He left the Doctor’s side, leaving him alone amongst an amphitheatre of campers.


	19. A Fatherly Visit

The rest of the summer was oddly normal. The daily activities continued, and they played capture the flag (though they avoided Zeus’s Fist). Tyson and Percy spent a lot of time playing with Mrs. O’Leary, but she would still howl at night when she got lonely for her old master. 

July passed, with fireworks on the beach on American Independence Day. Finally, the last day of camp arrived. At ten o’clock, the Doctor and Percy stood atop Half-Blood hill, waiting for the camp van that would take them into the city. They’d made arrangements to leave Mrs. O’Leary at camp, where Chiron promised she’d be looked after. Tyson, Percy, and the Doctor would take turns visiting her during the year.

Annabeth came to see them off, staying that she’d arranged to stay at camp a little longer. She would tend to Chiron until his leg was fully recovered, and keep studying Daedalus’s laptop, which had engrossed her for the past two months. Then she would head back to her father’s place in San Francisco.

“There’s a private school out there that I’ll be going to,” she said. “I’ll probably hate it, but…” She shrugged.

“Yeah, well, call me, okay?” Percy said.

“Sure,” she said half-heartedly. “I’ll keep my eyes open for…” Luke.

“Annabeth,” Percy said, “What was the rest of the prophecy?”

She fixed her eyes on the woods in the distance, but she didn’t say anything.

_ “‘You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze,’ _ ” Percy remembered.  _ “‘The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise.’ _ We raised a lot of the dead. We saved Ethan Nakamura, who turned out to be a traitor. We raised the spirit of Pan, the lost one.”

Annabeth shook her head.

_ “‘You shall rise or fall by the ghost king’s hand,’”  _ Percy pressed on. “That wasn’t Minos, like I’d thought. It was Nico. By choosing to be on our side, he saved us. And  _ ‘the child of Athena’s final stand’  _ – that was Daedalus.”

“Percy –”

_ “‘And lose a love to worse than death.’”  _ Annabeth had tears in her eyes. “That was the last line, Percy. Are you happy now?”

“Oh,” Percy said. “So Luke –”

“Percy, I didn’t know who the prophecy was talking about.” Annabeth said. “I – I didn’t know if… Luke and I – for years, he was the only one who really cared about me. I thought…”

Before they could continue, A sparkle of light appeared beside them.

“You have nothing to apologize for, my dear.” Standing on the hill was a tall woman in a white dress, her dark hair braided over her shoulder.

“Hera,” Annabeth said.

The goddess smiled. “You found the answers, as I knew you would. Your quest was a success.”

“A  _ success?”  _ Annabeth said. “Luke is gone. Daedalus is dead. Pan is dead. How is that –”

“Our family is safe,” Hera insisted. “Those others are better gone, my dear. I am proud of you.”

“You paid Geryon to let us through the ranch.” The Doctor realized.

Hera shrugged. Her dress shimmered. “I wanted to speed you on your way.”

“But you didn’t care about Nico.” The Doctor said. “You didn’t care what happened to him.”

“Oh, please.” Hera waved her hand dismissively. “The son of Hades said it himself. No one wants him around. He does not belong.”

The Doctor looked her dead in the eye. “You disgust me.”

“Watch yourself,  _ boy.  _ I guided you more than you know in the maze. I sent you to Calypso’s island. I opened the way to the Titan’s mountain.”

“And yet, with all that power, you still don’t know who I am.”

Hera didn’t dignify him with an answer.

“Then let me tell you. I am the Doctor, the oncoming storm, the bringer of darkness, destroyer of worlds, and I will not let harm come to those I care about. And if that means going through you, I will. And you won’t be able to stop me.”

Hera looked him in the eyes, and disappeared.

Only two days later was Percy’s birthday. His mum threw him a small party at their apartment. Paul Blofis came over, which was okay because Chiron had manipulated the Mist to convince everyone at Goode that the Doctor and Percy had nothing to do with the band room explosion. Now Paul and the other witnesses were convinced that Kelli had been a mad firebomb-throwing cheerleader, whilst the two boys had been innocent bystanders who’d panicked and ran from the school to safety. They would still be allowed to start as freshmen at Goode the next month.

Tyson came to the party too, and Ms. Jackson had backed two extra blue cakes just for him. Whilst Tyson helped Percy’s mum blow up party balloons, Paul Blofis invited the Doctor and Percy to help him in the kitchen.

“I hear your mom signed you boys up for driver’s ed this fall.”

“Just Percy,” The Doctor corrected, flashing the psychic paper. “I’ve already got mine.”

“Yeah, it’s cool. I can’t wait.” Percy said.

Paul looked at him, studying his expression. “You’ve had a rough summer,” he said. “I’m guessing you lost someone important. And…girl trouble?”

Percy stared at him. “How do you know that? Did my mom –”

Paul held up his hands. “Your mom hasn’t said a thing. And I won’t pry. I just know there’s something unusual about you. Percy. You’ve got a lot going on that I can’t figure. But I was also fifteen once, and I’m just guessing from your expression…Well, you’ve had a rough time.”

Percy nodded, looking to the Doctor, who smiled reassuringly and left the room.

“He wants to propose to her.” Percy said, sitting next to the Time Lord. “Paul wants to propose to my mom.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him to do it.”

The Doctor nodded.

“But it’s a bit odd, though.” The Doctor said.

“Yeah. It’s – it’s weird.”

“Good weird or bad weird?”

“Good weird.” Percy decided after a moment. “I think it’s a good weird.”

Percy was just getting ready to blow out his birthday candles when the doorbell rang.

Ms. Jackson frowned. “Who could that be?” She opened the door and gasped.

Poseidon was standing outside the door. He was wearing Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt and Birkenstocks. His black beard was neatly trimmed and his sea-green eyes were twinkling. 

“Pos –” Percy’s mum stopped herself. She was blushing madly. “Um, hello.”

“Hello, Sally,” Poseidon said. “You look as beautiful as ever. May I come in?”

Ms. Jackson made a sound that was between a ‘Yes’ and a ‘Help’, but Poseidon took it as a yes and entered.

Paul was looking back and forth between Percy, Ms. Jackson, and Poseidon, trying to read their expressions. Finally, he stepped forth. “Hi, I’m Paul Blofis.”

Poseidon raised his eyebrows as they shook hands. “Blowfish, did you say?”

“Ah, no. Blofis, actually.”

“Oh, I see,” Poseidon said. “A shame. I quite like blowfish. I am Poseidon.”

“Poseidon? That’s an interesting name.”

“Yes, I like it. I’ve gone by other names, but I do prefer Poseidon.”

“Like the god of the sea.”

“Very much like that, yes.”

“Well!” Ms. Jackson interrupted. “Um, we’re so glad you could drop by. Paul, this is Percy’s father.”

“Ah.” Paul nodded, though he didn’t look all that pleased. “I see.”

Poseidon smiled atPercy. “There you are, my boy. ANd Tyson, hello , son!”

“Daddy!” Tyson bounded across the room and gave his father a massive hug, nearly knocking off his fishing hat.

Paul’s jaw dropped. He stared at Percy’s mum. “Tyson is…”

“Not mine,” She promised. “It’s a long story.”

“I couldn’t miss Percy’s fifteenth birthday,” Poseidon said. “Why, if this were sSparta, Percy would be a man today!”

“That’s true,” Paul said. “I used to teach ancient history.”

Poseidon’s eyes twinkled. “That’s me. Ancient history. Sally, Paul, Doctor, Tyson…would you mind if I borrowed Percy for just a moment?”

He put an arm around Percy and steered him into the kitchen.

When Percy returned, Poseidon was gone. It took a bit to convince Paul that Poseidon had left via the fire escape, but he finally decided that was the only thing that could’ve happened. 

They ate blue cake and ice cream, and played a number of party games. But finally, Percy retreated to his bedroom, gesturing for the Doctor to follow.

“I assume this is about what happened with your father?”

Percy nodded.

“I told him what happened. He said the sea itself is at war.”

“And I assume you offered to help fight?”

“Yeah.” Percy said, looking at his feet. “He said I’m needed here. And he – he gave me this.”

Percy removed a sand dollar from his pocket. “He told me to spend it wisely.”

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully.

“He – he said I’m his favorite son…And the eruptions on Mount St. Helens are continuing.”

The Doctor nodded. “Typhon must be stirring.”

“He said he’ll escape soon. Like, a few months soon.”

“That’s not good…that’s very not good…”

“I don’t know what to do.”

The Doctor stood, stepping onto the fire escape to where Percy’s mother kept a planter box. From his pocket, he removed a small flower. The moonlace from Calypso's island.

Carefully, he planted it. A tiny silver plant sprung from the soil, glowing in the warm summer night.

“Nice plant, Doc.” A voice said.

“Nico.” The Doctor grinned.

“What are you doing here?” Percy asked curiously.

Nico had grown a little taller since the Doctor had last seen him. HIs hair was shaggy and uncut, and he wore a black T-shirt, black skinny jeans, and a silver ring in the shape of a skull. His Stygian iron sword hung at his side.

“I’ve done some exploring,” he said. “Thought you guys would like to know, Daedalus got his punishment.”

“You saw him?” Percy asked.

Nico nodded. “Minos wanted to boil him in cheese fondue for eternity, but my father had other ideas.”

“He’ll be building overpasses and exit ramps in Asphodel for the rest of time.” The Doctor said.

“How do you know?” Nico asked in shock.

“I travel through time,” The Doctor reminded him. “I always knew where he’d end up, just didn’t know how he’d get there.”

“I think he’s pretty happy with it.” Nico went on. “He’s still building. Still creating. And he gets to see his son and Perdix on the weekends.”

“That’s good.” Percy said.

Nico tapped his silver ring. “But that’s not the real reason I’ve come. I’ve found out some things. I want to make you an offer.”

“What?”

“The way to beat Luke,” he said. “If I’m right, it’s the  _ only  _ way you’ll stand a chance.”

“Okay, I’m listening.” Percy said.

Nico glanced inside the room. His eyebrows furrowed. “Is that…is that blue birthday cake?”

He sounded hungry and wistful. It made the Doctor wonder when the last time he ate was. “Come on in, Nico.” The Doctor said. “It sounds like there’s a lot we have to talk about.”


End file.
